Cosy Hobbit life sim Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game has been delayed once again, this time until 29th July.
It’s the second hold-up for the game after an earlier delay announced last year. Back in September 2024, developer Wētā Workshop said it expected the game to arrive in early 2025. Now, there’s another five months to wait.
A statement published today on the game’s social media account does not go into detail on why the game has been postponed once again, other than to say that Wētā Workshop wanted to ensure “every Hobbit, on every platform, can enjoy the same cosy experience”.
It seems possible that Take-Two Interactive‘s recent sale of Private Division, Tales of the Shire’s original publisher, may have had some impact on the game’s progress. But some Lord of the Rings fans have also raised questions about the game’s quality level, based on previous trailers.
“We want this game to feel like a warm hug from Middle-earth,” today’s statement notes, “and we are making sure that no matter where you play, you’ll feel right at home in The Shire. From foot-hair styles to the fluffiest cakes, every detail will be just right.”
It’s been reported that Tales of the Shire, alongside other Private Division games such as Kerbal Space Program 2, will now be aided by staff members who previously quit indie publisher Annapurna Interactive in a mass exodus last year.
