Rumours are swirling in the gaming industry that Warhorse Studios — the Czech developer celebrated for the hyper-realistic Kingdom Come: Deliverance series — is secretly working on a brand-new open-world Lord of the Rings title.
The project, said to carry a hefty $100 million budget, has fans of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth buzzing with excitement.
While nothing has been officially confirmed by Warhorse or Embracer Group (which owns the Lord of the Rings video game rights), the whispers come from credible industry voices and align with earlier leaks about a major new LOTR project.
Origins of the Warhorse Lord of the Rings Rumour
The latest buzz stems from Ryszard “RYSŁAW” Chojnowski, a respected Polish gaming journalist and Tolkien expert.
Speaking on the Tolkien Polska Podcast, Chojnowski revealed he first heard the rumour months ago through industry contacts and has since received multiple corroborating whispers.
He initially dismissed it but now believes there’s real weight behind the claims.
This ties directly into a September 2025 report from Insider Gaming that first detailed a new third-person open-world Lord of the Rings game.
Sources at the time described it as a large-scale action RPG designed to rival the commercial success of Hogwarts Legacy, with partial funding from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) reportedly around $100 million.
Why Warhorse Studios Makes Perfect Sense for Middle-earth
Warhorse’s track record makes them an ideal candidate.
The studio’s Kingdom Come: Deliverance (2018) and its 2025 sequel delivered one of the most immersive, historically accurate open worlds ever seen in gaming — complete with realistic NPC routines, deep role-playing systems, and a grounded approach to combat and exploration.
Job listings from Warhorse earlier this year sought Unreal Engine 5 expertise, a notable shift from the CryEngine used for the Kingdom Come series.
Internet sleuths quickly connected the dots to a new project beyond Kingdom Come: Deliverance 3.
Embracer Group’s ownership of both Warhorse and Middle-earth Enterprises further fuels the speculation.
With CD Projekt RED tied up with The Witcher 4, Warhorse stands out as one of the few studios with proven open-world RPG credentials and the bandwidth for a Tolkien-scale project.
What Could a Warhorse Lord of the Rings Open-World Game Look Like?
If the rumours hold true, expect a third-person action RPG that emphasises freedom and scale.
Players could roam a seamless Middle-earth map stretching from the peaceful Shire through Rivendell, the Misty Mountains, and all the way to Mordor — no loading screens, dynamic events, and a living world that reacts to your choices.
Warhorse’s signature realism could translate beautifully to Tolkien’s lore: detailed day-night cycles, weather systems that affect travel, authentic medieval-inspired combat, and perhaps even a lifepath system similar to Kingdom Come but infused with fantasy elements like magic, ring-bearing mechanics, or faction alliances.
The goal appears clear — create the definitive single-player open-world Lord of the Rings experience that previous games (Shadow of Mordor/War, Gollum, or the older MMOs) never fully delivered.
Lord of the Rings Gaming History and Fan Hopes
The Lord of the Rings has had a mixed history in video games.
Monolith’s Nemesis System titles offered thrilling action, while The Lord of the Rings Online remains a beloved MMO.
Recent efforts like Gollum and Tales of the Shire received lukewarm responses, leaving fans hungry for something ambitious.
A Warhorse-developed open-world RPG could finally give players the freedom to explore Tolkien’s world at their own pace — forging their own path as a ranger, hobbit adventurer, or even a hero caught up in the War of the Ring.
Timeline, Next Steps and What Happens Next
As with all major rumours, this remains unconfirmed.
Development on a project of this scope would likely take several years, putting a potential release window in the late 2020s or early 2030s.
Warhorse is still supporting Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 with post-launch content, so any LOTR announcement would probably come after that cycle winds down.
For now, the gaming community is watching closely.
If the $100 million Abu Dhabi-backed Lord of the Rings open-world game does land at Warhorse, it could become one of the biggest fantasy releases of the decade — a true successor to the open-world RPG throne.
Stay tuned to GamesHub for official updates as soon as Warhorse or Embracer break their silence.
In the meantime, the rumour mill has never looked more promising for Middle-earth fans.
