In a recent interview with IGN, Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann gave an update on the elusive Lord of the Rings MMO currently in development at Amazon Games.
Since the deal went through in May 2023 for Amazon and Embracer Group to produce a new MMO game based in the world of Middle-Earth there hasn't really been any details revealed about the game. Hartmann was asked to provide an update, to which he said there isn't really much of an update to give. However, within Hartmann's downplaying of any expectations of a massive reveal the Amazon Games boss did reveal some important information.
The Lord of the Rings MMO appears to still be in its conceptual phase, as Hartmann says Amazon Games is "still trying to find the hook, find that idea of what it is because we don't just want to go and do the same thing over." Hartmann appears to be referring to all of the other MMO games out there, possibly also MMORPG titles as well, as the Amazon Games boss says, "You've got to find a fresh twist, and we're still, I think, in that period where we really want to find out what could be the hook, what could be the thing which is different to all the other games out there. So it's a little bit early."
From Hartmann's comments it seems Amazon Games is going to take its time with The Lord of the Rings IP as it likely doesn't want to have another New World debacle where the release of the game is met with extreme popularity but is unable to find its footing and sustain itself over time, resulting in now an almost abandoned IP compared to where it peaked at.