Gollum of The Lord of the Rings Gets a Different Release Date
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is facing yet another postponement as its co-developer and publisher, Daedalic Entertainment, reveals a new launch window. This third-person action-adventure game will allow players to take control of the beloved The Lord of the Rings character Gollum in a tale that takes place between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. This is the fourth announced delay for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
In March 2019, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was initially announced with an anticipated release window in 2021. This was then revised in January 2021, when a press release was published introducing Nacon as the game’s co-publisher. Nacon is well-known for producing gaming accessories such as headsets and third-party Xbox controllers, as well as publishing titles such as Steelrising and Blood Bowl 3, a fantasy football game with a Tolkien-esque setting. The press release also outlined a new release date in 2022, but didn’t provide a specific month or quarter. Finally, on May 24th, 2022, the game’s official Twitter account announced a fixed release date of September 1st, 2022, with the Nintendo Switch version coming out on November 30th.
As September drew near, the official Twitter account of Gollum reported a delay, indicating that the game would be released “a few months” later. However, the date and time previously announced were not as concrete. This time around, Daedalic has stated that the game will be available during the first half of the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This timeframe is much broader, extending from April to September of 2023. This piece of news was included in Nacon’s third quarter 2022/23 sales report, which was released on January 23rd.
Though neither Nacon nor Daedalic has disclosed why their games were delayed, it is likely the pandemic is responsible for at least one or two of them. This is because many titles, from major to indie, had to be postponed while the companies strove to complete the projects while safeguarding their staff. As a result, some releases were moved back to 2023, such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom , which was initially intended to come out in 2022 yet was ultimately pushed back to May 12, 2023. Additionally, Bethesda Game Studio’s Starfield, its first single-player game since Fallout 4 in 2015 and its first new IP in 25 years, was announced at E3 2018 with a 2020 launch date. Still, due to the circumstances, Starfield is now scheduled to arrive in 2023 with no fixed release date.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has been classified as a third-person action-adventure RPG by the game’s official marketing. Footage from the trailers does not display a lot of combat, but rather concentrates on the stealth factor. Gollum can be seen slinking through the shadows near orcs, and hiding in shrubbery; a familiar sight from games such as Assassin ‘s Creed and Horizon Forbidden West. Daedalic has highlighted the deep dialogue system of Gollum previously as well. The developers have indicated that players will be taken through a range of areas in Middle-earth, encompassing Mirkwood, the Mines of Moria, and Mordor, as Gollum looks for his treasured ring.
Development is currently underway for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum for multiple gaming platforms, including PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.