Warhorse Studios, the studio behind 2025’s critically acclaimed single-player RPG Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, has announced its next project—an open world Middle-earth RPG.
This massive news comes weeks after Ryszard Chojnowski, a Polish translator who previously worked with CD Projekt Red, suggested a Lord of the Rings game is in development at the Czech Republic-based studio, in an episode of the Tolkien Polska podcast.
Since then, Warhorse itself has fueled this exciting rumor on multiple occasions, hinting at its next game by saying things like it’s “staying in the RPG genre” and that whatever it’s working on is a “huge, immersive RPG.”
Warhorse Studio is hiring for two massive projects
The actual confirmation that Warhorse Studios is working on a LOTR RPG comes from a hiring post, which the studio put up on X. What’s interesting is that it’s hiring for two different projects. In addition to a Middle-earth RPG, it’s working on a new “Kingdom Come adventure.”
It’s unclear what the scope of this KCD project is, but since it’s Warhorse, it will likely be another behemoth of an open world RPG. It’s also unclear which project is being developed first, or if they are being worked on simultaneously by two different internal teams.
You might have heard the rumours, it's time to reveal what we are working on.
— Warhorse Studios (@WarhorseStudios) May 20, 2026
🗺️ An open world Middle-earth RPG.
⚔️ A new Kingdom Come adventure.
We’re excited to tell you more when the time is right.#WarhorseStudios #Annoucement #lotr #KingdomComeDeliverance pic.twitter.com/Pcgf9SqW52
Irrespective, both games are likely in the early stages of development, as this sort of announcement usually happens when developers are on a hiring spree, particularly when working on a new IP or a licensed franchise. Titles such as Machine Games’ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Arkane’s upcoming Marvel’s Blade followed similar paths.
For those unaware, Warhorse Studios is owned by Plaion, which is part of Embracer Group. The hiring news comes in the wake of an announcement by the infamous Swedish video game organization that it’s splitting into two publicly traded companies.
Embracer’s spinoff, Fellowship Entertainment, is set to take over stewardship of its biggest gaming franchises, including Darksiders, Metro, Kingdom Come: Deliverance, Dead Island, Remnant, and Tomb Raider.
Speaking of Tomb Raider, it seems Warhorse Studio isn’t the only developer working on a game set in the LOTR universe. A report from Insider Gaming suggests that Crystal Dynamics, the studio behind the upcoming Tomb Raider: Catalyst and Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, is working on a separate LOTR title.
Embracer has previously flirted with the idea of developing multiple Lord of the Rings games, with the company’s COO, Lee Guinchard, revealing in an interview with Gamesbeat that he wants to see “a renaissance of Tolkien games”.
While the journey so far remains turbulent, what with Amazon reportedly cancelling its long-overdue Lord of the Rings MMO, it seems Middle-earth fans still have plenty to look forward to.
