An offshoot of Take-Two,Private Division’s primary job ever since its inception has been to highlight smaller-scale productions and AA games, rather than to focus on getting yet more AAA titles out of the door. Some of its previous projects and acquisitions includeOlliOlli World,Kerbal Space Program, andThe Outer Worlds, as well as the often forgotten sci-fi FPS,Disintegration.
Now, however,Private Divisionmay have received the opportunity to work on its most prolific project yet, as the publisher just announced it’s going to be developing a newMiddle-earthgame in conjunction with the legendary design and conceptualization company, Weta Workshop. While the details about this new game are sparse, some information has already been shared.
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In its latest press release, Private Division announced that it’s now entered into a publishing deal with Weta Workshop, where the two companies would bring an all-newMiddle-earthvideo game to light, which is currently slated for a 2024 release date.Private Division previously signed up indie game developerssuch as Roll7 and its widely acclaimedOlliOlliseries, while its new partnership with Weta Workshop may signify a bigger, more comprehensive production than some may have otherwise expected.
One curious tidbit was shared by Amie Wolken, the Head of Interactive at Weta Workshop. According to Wolken, thisMiddle-earthgame is supposed to be substantially different “from what fans have played previously,” though there was no suggestion as to what this difference may entail. Some of Private Division’s previous publications, such asthe recently revealedRollerdomefromOlliOllidevelopers, have featured stark, distinctive visual styles and gameplay loops, suggesting some amount of thinking outside the box, perhaps.
Aside from a promise of making the game “different,” press release doesn’t offer any real details about the upcomingMiddle-earthtitle, other than the notion that Private Division and Weta Workshop’s combined efforts are bound to create a “distinctive, newMiddle-earthgaming experience.“Take-Two Interactive promised a strong development pipelinefor its daughter companies up until 2024, and odds are good that this announcement had the new Weta WorkshopMiddle-Earthgame in mind for Private Division at that point in time.
It is curious to note thatDaedalic Entertainment’sGollumaction-adventureis going to be coming out sometime in the near, albeit indeterminate, future. This suggests that there’s been a push to create moreMiddle-earthgames at some point in the relatively near past, and that there may be more such productions getting announced in the future, too. As of right now, fans of Tolkien’s work can do little more than wait.
Private Division’s Weta WorkshopMiddle-earthgame is currently in production.
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