Warhorse Studios Announces Lord of the Rings Open-World RPG and New Kingdom Come Title
A studio built on historical realism is now adapting one of fantasy's most iconic settings, marking a significant creative pivot that will test whether its signature approach to world-building can translate to a genre with established expectations.
Reporting from 4 sources: GAME Watch (Impress), 4Gamer.net, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Warhorse Studios, the Czech developer behind the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series, announced on May 20, 2026, via its official X account that it is working on two new projects. One is an open-world role-playing game set in Middle-earth, the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. The other is a new adventure title in the Kingdom Come series. The studio did not reveal gameplay details, platforms, or release dates. Warhorse stated, "We're excited to tell you more when the time is right." The studio is known for its historically grounded medieval RPGs that avoid fantasy elements like magic, making its move into Tolkien's high-fantasy setting a notable shift. The company is owned by Embracer Group, which recently restructured its operations. The announcement follows strong reception for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, which was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025.
The studio's move into Middle-earth marks a departure from its established design philosophy. Warhorse, based in Prague, Czech Republic, built its reputation on the Kingdom Come: Deliverance series, which is set in the medieval Kingdom of Bohemia and deliberately excludes fantasy elements such as magic and dragons. The games instead focus on historically researched sword-fighting and daily life. Denfaminicogamer noted it will be interesting to see how the same studio expresses the grand fantasy world of Middle-earth.
The announcement follows a corporate restructuring at Embracer Group, which owns Warhorse. Embracer recently announced a company split and the establishment of a new entity called Fellowship Entertainment. Game Spark reported that both Kingdom Come: Deliverance and Lord of the Rings-related works under Embracer's IPs will be placed under Fellowship Entertainment. It remains unclear whether the announced projects are full new titles or downloadable content.
Warhorse's latest installment, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, sold over 4 million copies and was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2025. The studio's official X post, which included the line "You might have heard the rumours, it's time to reveal what we are working on," confirmed the two projects: an open-world Middle-earth RPG and a new Kingdom Come adventure.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- GAME Watch (Impress) 「キングダムカム」シリーズ開発元、「指輪物語」の舞台“中つ国”テーマのオープンワールドRPGを発表 Warhorse Studiosが公表。もう1本は「キンカム」アドベンチャー新作
- 4Gamer.net Warhorse Studios，「キングダムカム：デリバランス」シリーズ最新作と，ミドルアースを舞台にしたオープンワールドRPGを発表
- Denfaminicogamer 『キンカム』開発元のWarhorse Studios、『指輪物語』の「中つ国」を舞台にしたオープンワールドRPGと、『Kingdom Come』の新作を制作中と発表
- Game Spark 『キングダムカム』開発スタジオが「ロード・オブ・ザ・リング」オープンワールドRPGを開発中！『キングダムカム』の新プロジェクトも進行と発表 | Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト