The planned Lord of the Rings MMORPG from Amazon Games has been canceled following a dispute with Tencent. However, given Amazon's questionable history with game production, this is probably for the best. The company has yet to produce a major, praiseworthy title, and the losses are beginning to stack up.
Amazon Games was originally co-developing the unnamed Lord of the Rings MMO with Athlon Games and Leyou. However, the technology conglomerate Tencent Holdings Ltd. purchased Leyou in December. Since then, Amazon and Tencent have been unable to come to terms during contract negotiations, resulting in the cancellation of the project altogether.
Though this may seem like bad news to fans on the surface, it's likely better for those involved to have cut their losses now instead of sometime down the line. Amazon Game's recent projects (and their fates) don't leave one with the best impression of its abilities as a game developer. After primarily developing mobile titles, Amazon announced it wanted to begin creating major, original games. Amazon Games initially revealed three projects, Breakaway, Crucible and New World.
Breakaway was a brawler-esque sports game that combined elements from popular titles like Rocket League and SMITE. Announced in September 2016 and canceled in March of 2018, the title was initially received as an enjoyable but convoluted mash-up of different genres. When work on the project ceased, Amazon noted there was some chance development could resume if the studio encountered "a thunderbolt of inspiration."
Then, there's Crucible, a multiplayer third-person shooter, which flopped and had its development discontinued after only five months. After entering development in 2014, the title released in May 2020, then returned to closed beta testing after a month of negative to mediocre reception. When its cancelation was announced, Amazon cited an inability to see a sustainable future with the game.
Now, Amazon Games is working on an MMORPG, New World. After being planned for a May 2020 release, the title was pushed back to the end of August 2021. Impressions from those who have had a chance to play New World suggest the game could still use some work. While the combat experience has been universally called the high point of the title, repetitive and unoriginal questing, on top of lacking endgame content, has created some concerns about how New World will fare long-term -- especially considering how many established franchises it will have to compete with in the MMO landscape.
Even if Amazon's ability to handle major games wasn't in question, Lord of the Rings is a significant property with a huge fanbase who would be vocal if the title was mishandled. It would be easy for Amazon (or any other developer) to disappoint fans with any mistakes in the presentation of the lore or setting. Gamers familiar with Amazon's previous gaming ventures have reason to lack faith in the company's potential, putting it at another disadvantage -- not to mention the well-established Lord of the Rings MMO it would have to compete with as well.
Amazon Games may have lost another title in its lineup, but it's also likely side-stepped a larger nightmare. Amazon's gaming division is treading dangerous water, with very little to show after nearly half a decade in the trade. More negative press could severely damage the company's standing further at a time when it's also trying to push its cloud gaming service, Amazon Luna. Making video games is already a huge undertaking, let alone when that game is attached to a franchise as important as Lord of the Rings. Considering what fans would expect from this game and Amazon's recent history with its titles, it's probably better that this remains a canceled title rather than another half-baked attempt at a major release.