Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings stories have made video game fodder many times over the years, but in truth, like so many attempts to bring IPs from one realm to another, have never quite been blessed with a video game worthy of the source material.
Closest in memory was the Golem game from last year that cast aside its potential to be a roundly derided attempt that was dismissed out of hand by gamers everywhere.
Traditionally games based on this particular subject matter have all been about the wars and battles of the storyline but the forthcoming Tales of the Shire will do things a little differently, instead focusing on a cozy Hobbit simulator with no Black Riders galloping through the green, green grass of the homeland.
No, Tales of the Shire will see you live out your Hobbit dreams of a quiet life, trying to become the most popular Hobbit in the village and just generally having a chilled experience that anybody can enjoy.
Readwrite Gaming first covered Tales of the Shire when the original trailer accidentally leaked many moons ago, but we are now in a position where the devs at Wētā Workshop are confident enough to place a release date of 25th March next year (2025) on the game’s head.
PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox versions are all set to arrive together, and an 18-minute deep dive showcase video has been released showing just how far Tales of the Shire has come.
New Zealand’s Wētā Workshop’s broader resume includes work on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies from the early 2000’s so the source material is very familiar in that part of the world.
So if the idea of creating your Hobbit (and yes you can even choose the style of foot hair they have!) appeals and you just want a quiet life in your Hobbit Hole, thankfully, you only have a few more months to wait.