Warhorse Studios has made an exciting announcement, revealing two new projects in the pipeline: a Lord of the Rings role-playing game and a fresh installment in the Kingdom Come series.
In a recent social media post, the Embracer-owned developer confirmed long-standing rumours about their work on a Lord of the Rings RPG. However, they described the game as an “open world Middle-earth RPG,” suggesting it might not be set within the Lord of the Rings era of Tolkien’s fantasy world. The game is likely to follow the successful template established by the studio’s hugely popular Kingdom Come: Deliverance games.
It’s clear why Warhorse is a strong contender for a new Lord of the Rings game. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a story-driven open-world RPG set in medieval Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic). While Kingdom Come: Deliverance is known for its historical accuracy, this Middle-earth RPG could be imagined as Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 with a dash of fantasy to give it that Lord of the Rings feel.
Warhorse also confirmed that a “new Kingdom Come adventure” is in development. While the assumption is that this is Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3, it has not been confirmed yet and could potentially be a spinoff. “We’re excited to tell you more when the time is right,” Warhorse added.
This news comes as Embracer announced plans to spin off Fellowship Entertainment, a new business unit designed to focus on the company’s biggest franchises. As part of the announcement, Embracer said it will “more actively be exploring” external partnerships around its well-known IP, such as Saints Row, Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex, Red Faction, The Mask, Thief, and TimeSplitters.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 launched last year to critical and commercial acclaim. IGN’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review returned a 9/10. They said, “Armed with excellent melee combat and an exceptional story, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is one part sequel and one part coronation, bringing a lot of the original’s ideas to fruition.”
While Warhorse has enjoyed significant success with Kingdom Come: Deliverance, it has recently come under fire for its use of generative AI. Daniel Vávra, the previous director of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, stepped down from his role in February to focus on making a Kingdom Come: Deliverance movie.
