New Lord of the Rings RPG revealed?

Interview with EA developer appears to confirm existence of new role-playing game set in Middle-earth.

While the Lord of the Rings films were raking in billions of dollars in theaters, Electronic Arts also cashed in with its various Middle-earth game tie-ins. But although the publisher released solid action and strategy titles based on the movie trilogy, it somewhat neglected the role-playing category. Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, was a Final Fantasy X-esque action RPG that did not satisfy genre purists hoping for a more orthodox, Dungeons and Dragons-style title.

Now, it appears that EA is prepping a second RPG based on Lord of the Rings. In an interview with his former employers at 3D Realms, developer Jim Norwood revealed that he is at work on a new LOTR title at his current gig at EA. "I'm currently on Lord of the Rings: The White Council at EA as a software engineer," he told 3D Realms. "It's a new RPG game. That's all public information, so feel free to look it up on the internet or EA's website."

However, it appears Norwood may have spoken too soon, as EA's Web site has no product listing for Lord of the Rings: The White Council. As of press time, the publisher had not yet announced the game, and did not answer requests to comment on it.

While EA has released no details on Lord of the Rings: The White Council, its title gives a small clue to its content--if the game does indeed exist. In J.R.R. Tolkien's original Rings novels, the White Council was the body convened to stop everyone's favorite dark lord, Sauron, from reacquiring the One Ring. Originally headed by the wizard Saruman before he became evil, The White Council also included the wizard Gandalf.

GameSpot will have more details on Lord of the Rings: The White Council when--or if--they emerge.

50 Comments

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Mar 10, 2007 12:18 pm PT

    i wont care if it is as boring as the third age

  • Ek-Andy

    Posted Aug 15, 2006 1:00 pm PT

    Its on the EA website now under the news title unveiling white council or something allong the lines of that. http://www.ea.com/article.jsp?dcr=ea&id=whitecouncil

  • snowman_rob

    Posted Feb 3, 2006 11:18 pm PT

    Maybe if this time it didn't directly follow the plot of the books/movies.

  • juvi_gt

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 3:37 pm PT

    when i think of an rpgs, final fantasy comes to mind. So I hope this game is turn-based, cause i like turn-based rpgs

  • gdogg4210

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 2:59 pm PT

    Enough Lord of the Rings already

  • EliteSoldier1

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 2:40 pm PT

    EA will just mess it up so Im not getting excited about it.

  • deltacotton

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 1:33 pm PT

    finally, a 'real' rpg based on lord of the rings, not some more of that action rpg junk that i refuse to buy. i hope they do it right!

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 9:35 am PT

    If it doesn't suck, then I'm all for it.

  • Viquist

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 9:09 am PT

    I love the books and bought the extended versions of the movies... but the games were never that interesting to me

  • Timstuff

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 8:35 am PT

    Awesome. One of my favorite LOTR games to this day is Interplay's LOTR RPG. I remember playing that game for hours on end searching for every little sub-quest and trying to find the coolest weapons. Off-the-leash gaming at it's finest. Hopefully this time around, EA will deliver the goods!

  • snippey

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 8:27 am PT

    Hopefully this game is going to be cooler then the last one

  • RobertBowen

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 8:17 am PT

    Will they make a decent RPG this time?

    Maybe they should hire Bioware instead.

  • ewjim

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 6:14 am PT

    They "don't have enough" of FIVE (or soon six) LOTR's?!

  • lilweightlifter

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:57 am PT

    Sweet! I hope this game is awesome.

  • AceRampage

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:12 am PT

    Cool...
    Making everyone's favourite game into a rpg...
    Hope that you can play as a created character too...
    Or the stories going to be locked...

  • brianwh

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 5:07 am PT

    Quote:

    "...Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, was a Final Fantasy X-esque action RPG..."

    Action RPG? With all due respect, LotR:TTA was a _turn-based_ RPG, as was FFX.

  • azizrulez

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 3:55 am PT

    do we really need another LOTR RPG

  • kapadiajatin

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 12:38 am PT

    It would be better if they include the characters from the movie. I didnt like the first game because the new characters were not appealing enough to like them.

  • molivers7

    Posted Jan 10, 2006 12:17 am PT

    Three white wizards.

  • Bladex2k

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:52 pm PT

    yea rotk was their best game yet

  • Nostradennis

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 9:18 pm PT

    Darn, I was hoping for a "Return of the King" type sequel. That game was awesome.

  • forever_blank

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:51 pm PT

    Perhaps, it maybe exciting... maybe...

  • wytefang

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 8:34 pm PT

    Hopefully it'll be a PC only title, or if it's for all systems, one can only hope that they'll make the game to play to each system's strengths, not pawn off a crappy console port to the PC gamers out here...

  • Orasion_Seiz

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:38 pm PT

    it hope its better this time

  • MWRHC

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:38 pm PT

    I don't care what it's on! I just want my Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess!

  • Dutch_Mix

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:30 pm PT

    Awesome. I hope its on the 360.

  • _habit_

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 7:14 pm PT

    Personally I don't see how EA is all that bad, sure the only good series they have are the MoHs, but I don't think EA is _that_ bad.

    Either way I love LotR enough to ignore the fact that its EA or any other company for that matter.

  • matttrd

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:37 pm PT

    Great news I would love a new LOTR RPG.

    I was even one of the few who actually enjoyed The Third Age as well.

    It would be great if it was a free roaming RPG but I doubt it.

  • PringerOtaku

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:31 pm PT

    Third Age was a bad experience. Very, very bland. I sure hope this is MUCH better. I agree with SF about EA, especially their RPG's.

  • SpiderFreak

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:14 pm PT

    If it's made by EA, I ussually won't buy it. Not to mention that I highly doubt this game will be good at all.

    SF

  • helluvagood

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:09 pm PT

    yep its revelead

  • helluvagood

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 6:08 pm PT

    never like these game

  • mjk1

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:44 pm PT

    it should be good

  • fluffballNo1

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:21 pm PT

    Hopefully it will actually have you know, a story.

  • S7ATER

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:18 pm PT

    Hopefully this will take a new turn from the other ones and not just rehash the movies. Honestly I would like to see a new adventure.

  • prvtTucker

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:14 pm PT

    cool!!

  • dafireskull

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:13 pm PT

    Probably not ganna be as gud as Battle For Middle Earth 2 but i'd still buy it.

  • JudiMcJude

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:10 pm PT

    I like radagast..good ol' Radagast the Brown...bird lover...animal lover...wizard.

  • doomed51

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 5:06 pm PT

    another bad game? stop it EA! stop ruining the franchise!

  • EqualPlatinum

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:54 pm PT

    Ya, y?

  • _habit_

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:52 pm PT

    Radagast anyone?

  • andrewtyen

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:50 pm PT

    maybe it will be better

  • fore_runner

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:49 pm PT

    cool news, i like the lord of the rings, but have never been a big rpg fan.

  • GyRo567

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:48 pm PT

    The Third Age was like a crappy version of Final Fantasy, which is already purely there for the story... o_O

    Why in god's name would they try again?

  • Spartan4001

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:47 pm PT

    Man, I've been pulling for a free-roaming RPG that lets you go anywhere in Middle-Earth for years. I hope this is it.

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:43 pm PT

    Sounds interesting, if it even exists... let's hope so.

  • Mit_Man

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:37 pm PT

    Too bad this doesn't happen for more exciting titles like say, a new Mario or something.

  • Donkeljohn Site moderator

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:36 pm PT

    Perhaps this one will be good.

  • dru26

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:28 pm PT

    This sounds pretty good , I hope they consider another action title spanning all 3 movies one day.

  • petrosteph

    Posted Jan 9, 2006 4:26 pm PT

    hopefully this game will knock some socks off this time

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