The Lord of the Rings: Gollum release delayed by several months

Posted on July 27, 2022

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has been hit by a last-minute delay mere weeks before its September 1st release date. The game’s developers have announced that its release date has been pushed back “by a few months” to ensure that the game launches in the best possible condition.

“We are dedicated to meeting our community’s expectations and uncovering the untold story of Gollum in a way that honors the vision of J.R.R. Tolkien,” reads Daedalic Entertainment’s message on Twitter regarding the delay. “That being said, in order to deliver the best possible experience, we have decided to push back the release date of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum by a few months. We will update you with an exact timing in the near future.”

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is a stealth-action title set in the continuity of J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, following Gollum’s adventures a few years prior to The Fellowship of the Ring. Players must avoid orc patrols, and experience Gollum and his other half Sméagol occasionally arguing about the decision-making process.

Now, games get delayed all the time, particularly in recent years with understandable external factors such as a global pandemic influencing development. This isn’t even the first time Gollum has been pushed back, having originally been scheduled for a 2021 release. However a multi-month delay announced only slightly more than a month before release suggests that this push-back at the eleventh hour may be in reaction to the game’s less-than-glowing previews.

It also sees the game delayed away from the premier of Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power; while the show and video game don’t have much to do with each other story-wise, it still would have been nice brand synergy to release near one another. This late in the year, a delay of several months may see Gollum delayed into 2023.

Whatever the reason for the delay, hopefully it will result in a game worthy of the legacy of The Lord of the Rings brand. We will find out more about its new specific release date in the near future.