Amazon is partnering up with Middle-earth Enterprises for a massive new multiplayer online (MMO) video game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings.The untitled game will be “an open-world MMO adventure in a persistent world set in Middle-earth, featuring the beloved stories of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings literary trilogy.” The game is in the early stages of development, which is being led by Amazon Games Orange County, the studio behind Amazon Games’ open-world MMO game New World. Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann said in a statement: “We’re committed to bringing players high-quality games, whether through original IPs or long-beloved ones like The Lord of the Rings. Bringing players a fresh take on The Lord of the Rings has long been an aspiration for our team, and we’re honored and grateful that Middle-earth Enterprises is entrusting us with this iconic world.”Lee Guinchard, CEO of Freemode, Embracer’s division that houses Middle-earth Enterprises added: “The world of Middle-earth continues to prove an endlessly fertile ground for creators, and Amazon Games has a passion for building immersive, compelling worlds and publishing games for a global audience. We’re taking every care to deliver an MMO which will do justice to the expansive Middle-earth universe and delight players around the world.”This is Amazon’s second attempt to produce a Lord of the Rings MMO game. The first time was in 2019, it was set in “a time long before the events of The Lord of the Rings,” and it was being developed by Leyou Technologies. The project was ditched, though after China’s Tencent acquired Leyou, and Amazon and Tencent failed to come to terms on a new deal for the game.Amazon Games will publish the game globally for PC and consoles, but it did not announce an expected launch date. I’m curious to see what this game ends up being, but I hope that turns out to be something truly epic.