Warner Bros announces kid-friendly Lord of the Rings game
First LOTR title to be published by Warner since regaining rights to franchise
Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment will reveal The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo, organisers of the event have said.
The title marks the first Lord of the Rings game to be published by Warner Bros since rights to the franchise reverted to the company, following the December 31 expiration of Electronic Arts' eight-year exclusive contract.
According to an email sent to the press by E3 organisers, Aragorn's Quest will be "the first Lord of the Rings videogame created specifically for kids and their families," and will feature "accessible gameplay set in a friendly, colorful rendition of Middle-Earth."
"Players assume the role of Strider and embark on his greatest quests from The Lord of the Rings trilogy," the email continued. "The game offers authentic, action-oriented sword fighting, lancing and archery that all ages can play together."
The last title in the franchise published by Electronic Arts was January's The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, a critical flop with review averages in the 54-57 range according to aggregate Metacritic. New movies based on Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings universe - specifically The Hobbit - are due in 2011 and 2012.