- Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game is coming to mobile in 2025 for users with a Netflix subscription
- Wētā Workshop of Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth trilogies has the creative licence for the game
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Wētā Workshop and Take-Two subsidiary Private Division’s Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game is launching cross-platform next year, including a mobile release exclusive to Netflix subscribers.
First revealed for consoles and Steam, Tales of the Shire was originally expected to launch this year but has since been delayed to 2025. A new release date of March 25th has now been confirmed, along with a mobile version of the title.
“What about second breakfast?”
This heavily stylised Hobbit-focused game puts the small folk front and centre, with avatar customisation going right down to foot-hair styles. Players will also select a personality type before exploring a growing community, helping the local residents, building bonds and working to establish Bywater as an official village in the Shire.
And with warm meals so intrinsic to daily Hobbit living, this Middle-earth countryside simulator will also task players with foraging, cooking and sharing food with friends. Each meal will have multiple steps to it – chopping home-grown vegetables and adding a dollop of jam, for example – with different star rankings ultimately bringing about a range of results for hungry guests.
Behind Bywater
Having worked on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, Wētā Workshop has plenty of experience in Middle-earth and received the creative licence to make Tales of the Shire.
“Wētā Workshop has been trusted with J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth universe for more than 25 years, and over that time we have built up a deep understanding of the lore and a real love of Middle-earth that flows through our creative work across screen, collectibles and now, our cozy sims games,” said Wētā Workshop CEO and co-founder Richard Taylor.
“Tales of the Shire allows us to inspire our talents in an entirely new medium and, ultimately, create this game for people just like us – fans of The Lord of the Rings. This is a beautiful way that players who are looking for a quieter, more peaceful time can discover this in a less explored corner of this universe.”
Private Division VP, head of marketing Eric Correll added: “The Lord of the Rings is an extraordinary world, beloved by hundreds of millions, and people have been clamouring for a game to bring the community, fellowship, and warmth of the Shire to life.
“In Tales of the Shire, Wētā Workshop has created the countryside village of Bywater like no one else could do, and we can’t wait for gamers to unwind, relax, and explore.”
Tales of the Shire will join a Netflix library of over 100 games, including a growing list of titles that leverage popular IP like Vikings: Valhalla and the upcoming Squid Game, though in this case The Lord of the Rings isn’t a Netflix-owned property.
We spoke to Netflix VP of External Games Leanne Loombe this summer, who shared that games are a “long-term bet” for the company.
