Tales of the Shire is a The Lord of the Rings-themed take on Stardew Valley

By Tomas Franzese April 22, 2024 9:00AM

A Hobbit gardens in Tales of the Shire. — Private Division

Private Division revealed a new game set in the Middle-earth universe called Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game. The title, developed by Wētā Workshop Game Studio, is a cozy life simulator set within the world of the books by J.R.R. Tolkien.

In 2022, No Rest for the Wicked publisher Private Division first teased that it was working on a game based on The Lord of the Rings with Wētā Workshop, the visual effects studio whose initial claim to fame was working on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. Wētā Workshop has technically had a game studio since 2014, but Tales of the Shire will be its most significant release yet.

Tales of the Shire is meant to be a relaxing life sim where players go about their day in a town of Hobbits called Bywater. It looks like it will draw inspiration from games like Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Fae Farm, and Bandle Tale: A League of Legends Story. It’s a cozy game where players can customize their home, explore, farm, fish, and cook every day in between conversations with the Hobbits that inhabit Bywater. The ultimate goal is to throw an amazing Bywater Festival for the Shire where characters like Gandalf can potentially show up.

It definitely seems like it will be a breath of fresh air for The Lord of the Rings games following Monlith’s gory Middle-Earth action titles and 2023’s disastrous The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game will be released for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch sometime during “the second half of 2024.”

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Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…

Gaming

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

A close-up of Gollum.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is set to take us to an unexplored period of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth universe and give the legendary Lord of the Rings story a brand new story and lore. While Bilbo and Frodo Baggins are certainly heroes in the saga for finding, carrying, and ultimately destroying the One Ring and the Dark Lord Sauron, there's another hobbit who had a very important role to play — Sméagol (later known as Gollum).

While Gollum's tale has been touched on in the Lord of the Rings novels, Peter Jackson's iconic film trilogy, and other LOTR media, this game will be the first story focused solely on "the third hobbit." Gollum follows the notorious trickster as he is hunted down by Middle-earth's heroes and villains while wrestling with split personalities and obsession with the One Ring.

Gaming

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will finally release this May

Gollum from The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.

Daedelic Entertainment and Nacon's The Lord of the Rings: Gollum finally has a new release date. After a couple of delays, the unique Lord of the Rings game now has a May 25 release date. This news came alongside a new story trailer for the game, which teases the characters and enemies the titular character will encounter over the course of their adventure, like Gandalf and an emissary of Sauron.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ | Story Trailer
This game will provide a more in-depth look at Gollum's perspective on the events of the Lord of the Rings saga than we've seen before, and it looks and plays much differently than any other Lord of the Rings games before it. Combat is deemphasized; instead, players will spend their time climbing around recognizable Lord of the Rings locales, stealth-killing enemies that get in their way, and making multiple choices between what Gollum and what Smeagol want to do.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was first announced in 2020 with a 2021 release window. It didn't come out that year and was pushed back to 2022. Things were shaping up nicely for a September 1, 2022 launch, but Daedelic Entertainment delayed it indefinitely just over a month before release so the developers could deliver "the best possible experience." While they said it was only going to be delayed "by a few months" at a time, fans will have waited nearly nine extra months by the time it releases.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will be released for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on May 25. A Nintendo Switch version is also in development, but it still has a vaguer "later this year" release window.

Gaming

A Lord of the Rings game is in the works from the studio that created the films’ VFX

Screenshot with orcs attacking in Middle-Earth: Shadows of Mordor.

Private Division, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, just announced that it has a new Lord of the Rings game on the way. The new title is being worked on with partner Weta Workshop. It's the latest in a string of Lord of the Rings games announced and on the way this year.

We know that the new title will be set in Middle-earth, but that's all for now. However, fans can be assured that this may be one of the most accurate games released under the franchise name to date thanks to Weta Workshop, which is known for its screen work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, along with other movies like James Cameron's Avatar and Denis Villeneuve's Dune. The company recently established an interactive game division and is using it to bring this new partnership with Private Division to life.