Electronic Arts (EA) is working on a free-to-play (F2P) mobile game based on Middle Earth.
According to EA’s recent announcement, it is developing The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-Earth, a new F2P mobile game.
This game is EA’s first LOTR game since 2006.
According to an EA announcement, The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle Soil is a new F2P mobile game co-developed with Middle-Earth Enterprises, a division of Saul Zaentz, and EA’s Capital Games, developer of Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.
The game is said to bring LOTR’s “fantasy and adventure” to new and existing fans in a strategic and competitive social experience.
It will also be the first mobile game developed by EA “inspired by the story events, locations, characters, and lore of LOTR and The Hobbit.”
EA said the game will feature “immersive storytelling,” turn-based combat, deep collecting systems, and an extensive roster of characters from across the vast universe of The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit. It will also allow players to fight through the famed stories from the world of JRR Tolkien and fight the great evils of Middle-earth.
The game will require a persistent internet connection and will include in-game purchases, known as microtransactions, once released.
EA also added in its announcement that the game includes random items. Although it did not say what mechanic the game will use, it is likely that the game will include another set of gacha mechanics similar to those in the EA Star Wars: Battlefront series and other games such as Hearthstone, Raid: Shadow Legends, and FIFA 22.
As such, you would think that the game looks similar to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes (even the title is similar). But instead of Jedi, bounty hunters, and Sith Lords from the distant galaxy, it will feature characters from Middle-Earth, such as Gondorians, Hobbits, and Orcs.
History of EA with LOTR Games
EA has previously developed more than a few games based on LOTR. These games include The Battle of Middle Earth series, a real-time strategy game, The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers, The Return of the King, hack-and-slash video games, and Battlefront-esque video games.
The games, with the exception of Conquest, as reported by IGN , were well received by critics and fondly remembered by gamers at the time, according to Kotaku .
