„The project I’ve been working on for the last 4 years was pulled from our hands, and our entire development team was laid off.” LoTR: Return to Moria devs are in a major crisis

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As a devoted fan, it appears that Free Range Games, the masterminds behind The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, might be experiencing a significant downsize. This impression arises from a string of recent posts on LinkedIn by ex-employees of the studio.

As per the public posts, it appears approximately 80 developers are expected to leave their positions, among them being the whole team working on a project that has not been officially disclosed yet. One of these affected individuals openly discussing their situation is UX/UI designer Quinn Le, who posted about it on her profile.

On a Monday, the project I’d dedicated four years to was suddenly taken away from us, along with the termination of our entire development team. We’re all feeling disheartened, unsteady, yet primarily focused on what lies ahead.

Instead, Joseph Knox, a top producer at Free Range Games, disclosed that the project had its financial backing withdrawn by the publisher, a situation that impacts the 80-member development team.

It’s been pointed out by GameDeveloper that in the last while, at least five staff members from FRG have expressed on LinkedIn their intention to seek new job opportunities. Remarkably, four out of these five individuals posted very similar messages, appealing for assistance and insights regarding potential employment.

If the information proves accurate, it would mark the second round of job reductions at Free Range Games studio in 2021. Previously, the company publicly acknowledged some dismissals. At that time, a total of 13 employees from different teams chose to make their employment status known.

For quite a while now, Free Range Games has been developing a skateboarding title known as Wrekless. It’s expected that this game will hit Steam Early Access in the near future. However, there are concerns regarding the state of the studio, which casts doubt on the potential future of this exciting project.

Despite being a significant blow, the job cuts at Free Range Games pale in comparison to the wider challenges facing the gaming industry right now. As per the most recent data, up to 9,100 employees have been let go from the Xbox division alone today.

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2025-07-03 16:02