EA announces new mobile Lord of the Rings game Heroes of Middle-earth

One does not simply tap their way into Mordor

Electronic Arts is working on a new Lord of the Rings game, in mobile form. EA is partnering with Middle-earth Enterprises to develop a free-to-play mobile title called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.

The free-to-play mobile RPG will sound a little familiar if you’ve played these kinds of games before. According to today’s announcement, it will have turn-based combat, a collection system of some kind, and characters from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Mobile players will use their party to fight battles in the world of LOTR.

The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth is going into limited regional beta this summer. The announcement notes that Heroes of Middle-earth will require a persistent internet connection, and will have in-game purchases, including “random items.”

One in-game purchase to rule them all

While Warner Bros. Games has been steering the Lord of the Rings video game ventures lately, Electronic Arts is no stranger to the franchise. The PlayStation 2 era The Two Towers and Return of the King brawlers were published by EA. Electronic Arts also published the RPG, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, and the Battle for Middle-earth RTS series.

In terms of mobile ventures though, this is something new. Heroes of Middle-earth is in development at Capital Games, the EA branch currently running Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. While the announcement advertises storytelling, cinematic animations, and high-fidelity graphics, concerns about monetization and content structure also seem pretty valid.

A Lord of the Rings mobile game that sounds a bit like Fate/Grand Order or Fire Emblem Heroes might not be everybody’s cup of tea. We’ll see how The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth shapes out when the mobile game enters a limited beta later this year.