Warhorse Studios is developing a new open-world role-playing game set in the expansive universe of J.R.R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings.
The developer, best known for the historical RPG series Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, confirmed the new project on social media. Details are light at the moment, but they described it as "an open world Middle-earth RPG." This suggests that while the game is set in Middle-earth, it may not specifically take place within the Lord of the Rings era of Tolkien's fantasy setting.
The developer also announced they are working on a new Kingdom Come "adventure."
The social media announcement came shortly after Warhorse Studios parent company Embracer reported a quarterly operating profit that beat analysts' expectations. Embracer Group announced plans to split into two separate publicly traded companies as part of its ongoing restructuring efforts. One company, called Fellowship Entertainment, will operate as an “IP-led entertainment company” focused on game development, publishing, and licensing.
According to CEO Phil Rogers, licensing efforts built around Middle-earth Enterprises and The Lord of the Rings rights will be “at the heart” of the business. Fellowship will house several of Embracer’s major franchises and studios, including Warhorse Studios, Tomb Raider, Metro, Dead Island, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
Warhorse Studios is perhaps one of the most intriguing developers for a Lord of the Rings RPG. The studio has already proven it can build grounded, immersive medieval worlds with a focus on realism, exploration, and layer-driven storytelling through its Kingdom Com: Deliverance series. They also have experience building large-scale RPG systems centered around reputation systems, faction politics, morally gray storytelling, melee combat, and open-world quest design -- all of which could translate well into a Middle-earth RPG.
The studio's most recent titles, Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its sequel Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, were both award winning games. The 2018 release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance was praised for its storytelling and immersive RPG design. It won the "Narrative" award at the Central & Eastern European Game Awards.
Its sequel, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, was released in February last year, and won the BAFTA Game Award for Best Narrative. It was also named PC Gamer’s Game of the Year for 2025, while receiving nominations for major categories at The Game Awards 2025, including Game of the Year, Best RPG, and Best Narrative.
Suffice to say, Warhorse Studios working on both a Lord of the Rings RPG and a new Kingdom Come: Deliverance game are some exciting prospects.