The Lord of the Rings: Gollum gets a release date and a cinematic trailer

The Middle-earth stealth adventure is coming to PlayStation, Xbox and PC on 1 September

Steve Hogarty
Wednesday 25 May 2022 12:02 BST
The titles will focus on Gollum’s quiet cunning as he sticks to the shadows to outwit his enemies
The titles will focus on Gollum’s quiet cunning as he sticks to the shadows to outwit his enemies (iStock/The Independent)

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Mucky wet gremlin simulator Lord of the Rings: Gollum is set to release on 1 September, developer Daedalic has announced.

The unlikely stealth adventure spin-off stars the ring-thirsty little oik himself, and will appear on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. And a Nintendo Switch version is due to follow later.

Pitched as a refreshing alternative to the usual action-rammed sword-slashing and epic fantasy battles found elsewhere in the legendary franchise, Lord of the Rings: Gollum will focus instead on the protagonist’s quiet cunning as he sneaks around avoiding combat, sticking to the shadows and outwitting his enemies.

On his big day out in Middle-earth, Gollum will leave behind the dank caves of the Misty Mountains to embark on “a perilous journey that leads him from the dungeons of Barad-dûr to the realm of the Wood-elves in Mirkwood”, according to the developer.

Along the way you’ll have to contend with Gollum’s infamous dual-personality, as his old Hobbit-self and alter-ego Sméagol comes to the fore to try to influence important moral decisions. It’s basically a good cop, bad cop scenario, but with a wretched grey dweeb instead of a cop.

When is ‘Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ being released?

Lord of the Rings: Gollum has a release date of 1 September 2022. It will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A Nintendo Switch version will follow later in 2022. A physical, boxed edition will be available for consoles.

As part of Daedalic’s announcement, a cinematic trailer was released alongside some new screenshots and details about how the latest game in Tolkein’s world will play out.

We’re pleased to see games taking a greater interest in the more peculiar characters of Middle-earth, so it’ll be interesting to see if Gollum can handle the pressure of a starring role. More information is expected to arrive in the lead up to game’s launch so we’ll keep you posted.

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