Warhorse Studios confirms new Middle-earth RPG after Tolkien licensing push

Warhorse Studios has moved from medieval Bohemia to Middle-earth, confirming on May 20 that it is working on a new open-world RPG set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s world. The Prague, Czech Republic studio called it “a new chapter for the studio,” and said there is “more to come from the world of Kingdom Come: Deliverance,” signaling that Middle-earth is a second major lane rather than a clean break from the series that built its reputation.

That matters because Warhorse’s appeal has always come from systems, not spectacle. The studio’s projects page says the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series has sold 15 million copies and that both games have collected more than 50 awards. Those numbers give Warhorse real leverage, but they also sharpen the risk: Middle-earth has been mined for big set pieces for decades, while Warhorse’s edge is in grounded role-playing, faction pressure, and an emphasis on the world feeling like a lived-in place. If that formula translates, the studio could give Tolkien fans something closer to survival inside the setting than another bombastic tour through familiar icons.

The broader licensing backdrop is just as important as the game itself. Embracer Group bought Middle-earth Enterprises in August 2022, gaining worldwide rights across motion pictures, video games, board games, merchandising, theme parks and stage productions tied to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In April 2024, Embracer said it intended to split into three publicly listed entities, including a Middle-earth-focused arm called Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends, which was planned to remain within the current listed company. Lars Wingefors has framed the Tolkien IP as a source of new transmedia opportunities, with Embracer looking to work with both existing and new external licensees.

That strategy has only become more visible after Amazon Games’ Lord of the Rings MMO effort was widely reported as cancelled following layoffs, even as Amazon later said its creative team was still exploring a new game experience that does justice to Tolkien’s world. Against that backdrop, Warhorse’s project is one of the clearest new Tolkien games to emerge from the post-MMO shake-up.

Warhorse has not announced a title, platform list or release window yet, which leaves the biggest question hanging over the project: whether a studio built on hard-edged, simulation-heavy RPG design can make Middle-earth feel raw, dangerous and believable without losing what makes Tolkien’s world distinct.