Amazon’s Lord of the Rings MMO cancelled for the second time

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Amazon has reportedly cancelled its Lord of the Rings online game project for a second time, after significant layoffs within their gaming department.

Originally announced in 2019, this online adventure game was a partnership between Amazon Games and Leyou Technologies. It was planned to be a large-scale experience set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth, long before the events of The Lord of the Rings. However, the project was canceled in 2021 when Tencent bought Leyou, and disagreements arose that ultimately ended the collaboration.

Amazon decided to revive the game themselves and partnered with Embracer Group to do so. While specific plans weren’t widely shared, those working on the project described it as a large-scale, modern online world based on Tolkien’s stories.

Lord of the Rings MMO canceled twice

Sadly, it seems the game has been cancelled again. After recent layoffs at Amazon’s gaming division, reports indicate that the Lord of the Rings MMO project has been put on hold indefinitely.

A Senior Gameplay Engineer and Tech Lead at Amazon Games announced on LinkedIn that they were affected by recent layoffs, along with other talented team members working on New World and the still-in-development Lord of the Rings game. They hinted that the Lord of the Rings project was promising.

The long-awaited MMO has been shut down, and the development team has been laid off as part of larger changes within Amazon’s gaming division.

In addition to the game’s cancellation, Amazon’s massively multiplayer online game, New World – released in 2021 – is also being phased out. The developers announced earlier this month that they won’t be adding any new content, although the game will still be playable for at least another few years, through 2026.

Looks like Amazon’s planned Middle-earth MMO isn’t happening, but there’s already a Lord of the Rings MMO available for fans to play.

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2025-10-30 15:19