The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is bringing the literary world to mobile

Electronic Arts have announced that they are once again returning to middle-earth, as they have partnered up with Middle-earth Enterprises to make The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.

The new game is a Collectible Role-Playing Game, or CRPG that is aiming to bring the fantasy and adventure of The Lord of the Rings to both existing fans and new audiences alike in a strategic, social-competitive experience.

The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth will feature immersive storytelling, turn-based combat, deep collection systems, and a wide roster of characters from across the vast universe of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Players battle through iconic stories from the world of Tolkien and take up the fight against the great evils of Middle-earth.

“We are incredibly excited to partner with The Saul Zaentz Company and Middle-earth Enterprises on the next generation of mobile role-playing games,” said Malachi Boyle, Vice President of Mobile RPG for Electronic Arts. “The team is filled with fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and each day they bring their tremendous passion and talents together to deliver an authentic experience for players. The combination of high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art immerses players in the fantasy of Middle-earth where they’ll go head-to-head with their favourite characters.”

In an interesting turn, all the previous Lord of the Ring games from EA were based around the movies that Peter Jackson brought to the big screen, this new game is going to be based off the books, as as the Hobbit book.

The only thing to be worried about is that the game is a freemium, as in free to get, but will contain in-app purchases, which if past EA games are any indication, could be annoying or painful to deal with.

“We are thrilled to be working with EA once again, this time to bring a mobile game solely inspired by Middle-earth as described in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien to its fans,” said Fredrica Drotos, Chief Brand & Licensing Officer for SZC’s Middle-earth Enterprises. “It’s an honour to work with the talented Capital Games team whose knowledge and love of the lore is palpable throughout.”

The game is aiming to release in a beta sometime this Winter, but there is no word on when exactly, or where it might release.