Who Will Make The First Great Open-World Lord Of The Rings RPG?

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Warhorse Studios seems like a perfect fit for a Lord of the Rings game, but there are conflicting rumors about its next project. Some people at Disney are interested in buying Epic, but why would Tim Sweeney ever go back to working for someone else? The Disco Elysium studio’s next game comes out in May. Has there been too much drama for anyone to still care?

The Morning Checkpoint for March 31, 2026 is full of questions, including what other layoffs we’ll learn about as the fiscal quarter comes to a close today. But one question I’m not longer asking is when R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos will release.

NIS America confirmed earlier today that after many delays, the remasters of the PSP-era strategy games are finally coming out June 18. The originals were held back by long load times and lots of repetitive animations. New hardware and a fast-forward button could fix all of that.

Will Warhorse make a Lord of the Rings game?

There are two competing rumors. The first is the most tantalizing. A Polish game industry veteran named Ryszard Chojnowski reportedly said on a recent podcast that “credible” source at the studio informed him the Kingdome Come studio was working on a Lord of the Rings game next. That comes several months after Insider Gaming reported that parent company Embracer, who owns the license, received $100 million in funding for an open-world LotR project.

The studio previously confirmed its working on a new RPG in the vein of the large, story-driven, open-world formula it’s established with the Kingdom Come franchise. That could just being Kingdom Come 3, or an original fantasy IP that has nothing to do with Lord of the Rings, as a separate rumor has suggested. What’s clear is that there is a lane for someone to make a Hogwarts Legacy-style adaptation, though as cuts ravage the industry there are certainly fewer and fewer obvious studio prospects to take on that challenge.

Some Disney executives are interested in acquiring Epic

That’s according to tech reporter Alex Heath, who recently appeared on The Town podcast. Disney has poured $1.5 billion into the Fortnite engine and its new CEO has signaled hopes of bringing more exclusive events and content to the battle royale turned metaverse. I think it owning the Epic outright would make a ton of sense for an entertainment company without a strong foothold in gaming or tech, but have a hard time seeing CEO Tim Sweeney ever giving up control.

PC and retro gaming handhelds are feeling the RAM crunch

Due to the recent increase in storage component costs, prices across many Ayaneo products will be rising soon,” read the email announcement (via Steam Deck HQ). “At the same time, some models may be temporarily discontinued once current inventory sells out.”

Peak gets custom expeditions

The friendslop hit’s new Play It Your Way Update lets players set up missions with all sorts of custom modifiers. One of the new modes is called “Grapple Mode (Stupid)” where players get access to rescue claws with unlimited uses. So if you thought Peak was too hard or not chaotic enough, well Aggro Crab has you covered.

The Long Dark journey comes to an end

The survival game came to Steam Early Access back in 2014. Its first story chapters were released in 2017. Over a decade after release, the final fifth chapter comes out later today. “The end of Wintermute and the completion of Episode Five is the end of an era for Hinterland,” wrote studio head Raphael van Lierop “Finally, we will be able to talk more freely about our plans and ambitions for the future. Some of those plans relate to ongoing TLD development. Some of those plans relate to our work on Blackfrost. Some of those plans relate to other unannounced projects.”

The Disco Elysium studio’s next game has a release date

Zero Parades For Dead Spies, a new espionage thriller RPG from ZAUM, is releasing on PC on May 21. It sounds potentially promising but comes with the baggage of one of the messiest, high-profile indie gaming breakups ever.