The Lord of the Rings: Gollum developers apologise for “underwhelming experience”, promise fixes

After many delays, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has finally released and the consensus has been overwhelmingly negative. Criticised for myriad issues, from bugs to generally dull gameplay, Gollum has already become perhaps the most disastrously-released major video game this year so far. Developer Daedalic Entertainment has responded to the negative criticism on Twitter, acknowledging the game’s shortcomings and botched launch, and promising future fixes.

A few words from the " The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ " team pic.twitter.com/adPamy5EjO

— The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (@GollumGame) May 26, 2023

The developers advised that they “sincerely apologize for the underwhelming experience” many have had with the game. The team states that it is “actively listening” to the feedback from critics and players regarding required improvements. Rather than writing off the experience, Daedalic has stated that it is “committed” to working on patches and fixing the issues players have identified in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. The team then ends the statement by saying “we apologize for any inconvenience caused, and we appreciate your understanding during this time.”

It is generally nice to see a developer sticking with a game and endeavouring to provide a good experience. However, in this case, it is certainly worth asking if Gollum is worth saving at this point. While many reviews have cited the game’s poor stability and technical issues as recurring faults, which are possibly fixable, so many have condemned the game at launch that it’s unclear if its reputation can ever be properly salvaged, even with patches. Following The Embracer Group’s recent acquisition of the LOTR IP, the company is more likely to want to move on from such a disaster and shine a spotlight on their own Middle-Earth projects.

At any rate, it will remain to be seen if Daedalic Entertainment can eventually redeem The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. For Middle-Earth fans, there are at least several more promising games on the horizon, such as an MMO by Amazon Games and a still-mysterious project by Private Division.