It’s been seven years since the Middle-earth film series capped off with “Battle of the Five Armies,” but J.R.R. Tolkien’s stories still make for good entertainment. At least, that’s what EA and Middle-earth Enterprises are banking on as the two companies just announced a new free-to-play mobile game set in the classic fantasy universe. The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is still kind of ethereal in nature—something of a wraith if you will—as barely any details (and no screenshots) have been revealed so far. What we do know, according to the press release, is that the game will include notable events from The Lord of the Rings as well as The Hobbit. Players will have access to a number of characters pulled from the fiction, and will be able to take part in various well-known battles throughout both series. EA classifies it as a “Collectible Role-Playing Game” and a “strategic, social-competitive experience.” Whether or not that means it’s a literal strategy game, or if the strategy has more to do with those social elements, remains to be seen. Though as a free mobile RPG with a focus on collectibles, it sounds like there’s a decent chance it could involve “collecting” various well-known and fan-favorite characters. There is no expected release date for Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth just yet, but regional beta testing is expected to begin sometime this summer. Which regions will be included in that testing has also not been revealed.
