<p> US tech giant Amazon has announced it is developing an open-world style video game based on the classic "Lord of the Rings" saga.</p>.<p>J.R.R. Tolkien's stories of mythical creatures struggling with the mystical power of the rings have become a staple on the video game scene -- most famously the tie-ins with Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy in the early 2000s.</p>.<p>Amazon Games said on Monday it was working on a massively multiplayer online game (MMO), where players can roam around virtual worlds and create their own adventures.</p>.<p>The Jeff Bezos-owned behemoth has spent years carving out a space in the video game market with its own studio, a cloud gaming service called Luna and the gaming-focused streaming platform Twitch.</p>.<p>"Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team," said Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games.</p>.<p>He said Amazon was working with Embracer Group, a holding company that owns the rights to video game versions of Tolkien's stories, to develop the game.</p>.<p>"We're taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world," said Lee Guinchard of Freemode, part of the Embracer Group.</p>.<p>Amazon did not confirm specifics of the game -- there is not yet a title or a release date.</p>.<p>Amazon's TV offshoot, Amazon Prime Video, is also deeply invested in Tolkien's world -- spending more than $1 billion on its adaption of the Lord of the Rings.</p>.<p>The US firm has already developed successful open-world games -- it launched "New World" in 2021 to generally positive reviews.</p>
<p> US tech giant Amazon has announced it is developing an open-world style video game based on the classic "Lord of the Rings" saga.</p>.<p>J.R.R. Tolkien's stories of mythical creatures struggling with the mystical power of the rings have become a staple on the video game scene -- most famously the tie-ins with Peter Jackson's epic film trilogy in the early 2000s.</p>.<p>Amazon Games said on Monday it was working on a massively multiplayer online game (MMO), where players can roam around virtual worlds and create their own adventures.</p>.<p>The Jeff Bezos-owned behemoth has spent years carving out a space in the video game market with its own studio, a cloud gaming service called Luna and the gaming-focused streaming platform Twitch.</p>.<p>"Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team," said Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games.</p>.<p>He said Amazon was working with Embracer Group, a holding company that owns the rights to video game versions of Tolkien's stories, to develop the game.</p>.<p>"We're taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world," said Lee Guinchard of Freemode, part of the Embracer Group.</p>.<p>Amazon did not confirm specifics of the game -- there is not yet a title or a release date.</p>.<p>Amazon's TV offshoot, Amazon Prime Video, is also deeply invested in Tolkien's world -- spending more than $1 billion on its adaption of the Lord of the Rings.</p>.<p>The US firm has already developed successful open-world games -- it launched "New World" in 2021 to generally positive reviews.</p>