There’s a famous line in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings where Gandalf the Grey explains that a wizard is never late or early. Instead, “he arrives precisely when he means to.” Video games, on the other hand, are another matter. Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game has been delayed again.
The game’s developers, Private Division and Wētā Workshop, jointly announced that Tales of the Shire will now be released on July 29. Prior to that, Tales of the Shire was delayed from its 2024 release window and was scheduled to land on March 25. Now, fans will just have to wait until summer to move into the virtual Shire.
In the statement below, the given reason for the delay is that the devs want to ensure “the same cozy experience” is available on all platforms. The note also states that the developers want the game “to feel like a warm hug from Middle-earth.”
There will be no epic quests or ring-tossing into Mount Doom in this game. Tales of the Shire is all about the tranquil lives of Hobbits when they aren’t out saving the world or having adventures. Truthfully, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins–as well Sam, Pippin, and Merry–were always outliers among their people. Most of the Hobbits prefer to stay at home in the Shire.
This game will allow players to create their own Hobbit character, and put together a beautiful home for them. Players can also enjoy simple Hobbit tasks like farming, gardening, decorating, and trading for rare items with fellow residents of the Shire.
Tales of the Shire will be available on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and PC . GameSpot had a hands-on preview for Tales of the Shire last year, which called it “charming” and praised its “good fundamentals,” while also stressing the need for several quality-of-life improvements and more compelling gameplay. Hopefully the final version of the game will deliver those adjustments.