Amazon Says It Still Wants To Make a Lord of the Rings Game

Amazon says it hasn’t walked away from making a Lord of the Rings game, even after reports that its planned MMO had been cancelled.

Speaking with IGN, Amazon Games head Jeff Gattis said “nothing’s been cancelled per se” and that the company is still looking at multiple concepts for a game set in Middle-earth. He said one project he saw recently was “quite compelling” and could potentially move forward.

That doesn’t mean the earlier MMO is still happening as previously understood. A GamesIndustry.biz report said Amazon had cancelled the Lord of the Rings MMO, and Gattis previously declined to directly confirm or deny that. His latest comments point more toward Amazon reassessing what shape the game should take rather than announcing a specific project, release window, platform, or genre.

Gattis said Amazon is still working with Middle-earth Enterprises and is trying to figure out “what game we want to make” and what fits both Amazon’s audience and a wider gaming audience.

The comments also line up with Amazon’s broader games strategy. The company has been leaning on established names, including Tomb Raider and James Bond, while continuing to talk up its interest in larger AAA projects. Gattis said Amazon doesn’t want to make expensive games that don’t have a clear reason to exist within the company’s wider entertainment business.

For now, the practical takeaway is simple: Amazon still wants a Lord of the Rings game, but it hasn’t announced what that game is. No date, no platforms, and no confirmed MMO revival.