Overview
- Eurogamer and other outlets reported Thursday that Amazon’s in‑development Lord of the Rings MMO has been canceled, though the company has not issued a formal confirmation.
- Head of games Jeff Grattis said the team is exploring a new game experience with Middle‑earth Enterprises, offering no details about the genre or scope.
- Reporting links the shutdown to October 2025 layoffs and an internal memo from executive Steve Boom that paused much first‑party AAA MMO work at Amazon Games.
- Developers said roughly 1,000 New World staff were being reassigned to the Lord of the Rings team as it entered pre‑production before many were laid off.
- Eurogamer’s investigation also detailed a corporate push to use generative AI, including a pivot on an unrelated project called Project Trident, which sources said shaped decisions before the cuts.