Amazon’s video game division has canceled an online role-playing game based on the fantasy series Lord of the Rings, which was announced in 2019, an Amazon spokeswoman said.
The game had been in development at Amazon Game Studios alongside the China-based Leyou Technologies, which was purchased by conglomerate Tencent in December. The resulting contract negotiations led to a dispute between Amazon and Tencent that eventually caused the game’s cancellation, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly about the issue.
According to a Bloomberg report, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that after Tencent’s acquisition of Leyou, “we have been unable to secure terms to proceed with this title at this time.”
The Amazon team working on the game will be moved to other projects. “We love the Lord of the Rings IP, and are disappointed that we won’t be bringing this game to customers,” the spokesperson for the Seattle-based company said in a statement.
Big news: We’re working with Leyou to develop and publish a free-to-play MMO based on The Lord of the Rings world for consoles and PC. https://t.co/1KxddnBMpo pic.twitter.com/Cr7PrN6dVl
— Amazon Games (@AMZNGameStudios) July 10, 2019
It’s yet another setback for Amazon Game Studios, who in the broadest of terms haven’t managed to release a single successful effort since launching in 2014, and The Lord of the Rings can now be added to the discard pile along with team-based brawler Breakaway and Relentless Studios’ third-person shooter Crucible. Amazon might own Twitch, which gives them a huge presence in the gaming industry, but in-house titles have never been the company’s strong suit.
