Weta Workshop and Private Division’s Tales of the Shire has been revealed in full, with a new gameplay trailer showing off cosy activities in a warm, lovely world. The narration for the trailer makes clear that while Tales of the Shire is set within the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the events of this story will not play much of a part in your day-to-day journey.
While men, elves, dwarves, and orcs go to war, you are safe in the cosy haven of The Shire, minding your own business, and having a lovely time. While The Shire does feature in one darker part of The Lord of the Rings (in the books, and only hinted at in the films), it appears there will be no impending threat to your Hobbits in the game.
Rather they’ll be free to spend their days travelling within The Shire, foraging for crops, fishing, trading, rearing animals, making friends, cooking, gardening, and decorating their homes. It appears there’ll also be parties you can hold, bringing together your entire town for a celebration.
You can see a first glimpse at this gameplay in the newly-released trailer:
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Based on this trailer, it does appear Tales of the Shire is taking an Animal Crossing-like approach to cosy life sim gameplay. You’ll establish yourself in the town of Bywater, and then get to “live out the dream Hobbit lifestyle” by indulging in cosy activities, most of which seem to revolve around collectibles. You’ll also be able to visit shops to trade goods, and really get to know your Hobbit neighbours.
Based on a brief shot in the trailer, and the narration, it does also appear that Gandalf (or an equivalent wizard) will play a part in the game, potentially as a guest character or surprise visitor.
Beyond this, the gameplay loop of Tales of the Shire remains a fair mystery. We’ll likely hear much more about the game over the coming months, as Weta Workshop and Private Division gear up for larger reveals.
As confirmed in the new trailer, Tales of the Shire will release in the second half of 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Stay tuned for more about the game.
