Lord of the Rings Heroes of Middle-earth: Release date rumours & beta news
Heroes of Middle-earth will be EA's first LotR mobile title.
With one big successful mobile role-playing game collaboration under its belt thanks to 2015's Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, Electronic Arts has made a deal for another. And this time, it'll let you journey to JRR Tolkien's fantasy world — the game is called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth.
“We are incredibly excited to partner with The Saul Zaentz Company and Middle-earth Enterprises on the next generation of mobile role-playing games,” says Malachi Boyle, Vice President of Mobile RPG for Electronic Arts.
“The team is filled with fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and each day they bring their tremendous passion and talents together to deliver an authentic experience for players.
"The combination of high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art immerses players in the fantasy of Middle-earth where they’ll go head-to-head with their favorite characters.”
“We are thrilled to be working with EA once again, this time to bring a mobile game solely inspired by Middle-earth as described in the literary works of JRR Tolkien to its fans,” said Fredrica Drotos, Chief Brand & Licensing Officer for SZC’s Middle-earth Enterprises.
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“It’s an honor to work with the talented Capital Games team whose knowledge and love of the lore is palpable throughout.”
So, what else do you need to know about this intriguing new mobile title? Keep on reading to find out.
When is the Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth release date?
EA has made no official announcement about a full release date for Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth, but the company did confirm that beta testing will begin in summer 2022 - more on that in a sec!
With beta testing not scheduled to start until this summer, it's impossible to know whether the full game will arrive this year or not. Still, it would surely be a smart move to line up with the arrival of Prime Video's new Lord of the Rings series, which arrives in September. That would be our guess!
How do you sign up for the Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth beta?
EA is expected to start limited regional beta testing for the new title this summer. However, no other details were revealed about the tests. We don't yet know where or when players will have to sign up to take part in this early demo experience, but we'll be sure to update this page when that information becomes available.
Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth story and gameplay
Heroes of Middle-earth will include characters from both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, along with collection systems, turn-based combat and, according to EA, "immersive storytelling".
Rather than being a tie-in to the films or TV show, this game will apparently be "inspired by storylines, locations, characters, and lore from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works". So they're going back to the books on this one, which is a similar approach to the one being taken by the upcoming Lord of the Rings: Gollum game.
Players will apparently "battle through iconic stories from the world of Tolkien and take up the fight against the great evils of Middle-earth". And while you're on that quest, you will need a persistent internet connection (according to the announcement).
Will Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth feature in-app purchases?
According to EA, the game will be free to play, but you'll be able to buy certain upgrades. This is, of course, fairly standard for mobile games at this point.
These in-game purchases will include "random items" according to the announcement, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise either.
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Is there a trailer for Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth?
As of yet, there is no trailer for The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth, but we'll be sure to update this page when that changes. Watch this space, then, and we'll keep you updated with all the latest news as it happens.
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