New studio makes mmorpg about Middle-earth

A new mmorpg with free-to-play model is in development and will be set in Middle-earth. That was announced September 3 by Leyou Technologies, a publisher from Hong Kong.

Not much is known about the game at the moment. Leyou Technologies does report that the game will take place several years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. The publisher promises “a new, immersive experience” and draws on its experience with free-to-play games such as Warframe from developer Digital Extremes, of which 61 percent is owned by Leyou Technologies. In addition, the company owns 51 percent of Guangzhou Radiance, a studio that is working on Civilization Online under license from publisher Take-Two.

Athlon Games is a new developer created specifically for the development of the game. What exactly this will mean for The Lord of The Rings Online, now that Middle-earth Enterprises will deal with the new mmorpg, is still unknown. The Lord of The Rings Online was released on April 24, 2007 and received a major update in March.

Screenshot from The Lord of The Rings Online (PC)