Tales of the Shire: A the Lord of the Rings Game Looks Like a Cosy Time With Hobbits

We finally have the first full trailer for Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, an upcoming single-player life simulation set in the Middle-earth universe inspired by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Tales of the Shire, published by Take-Two-owned Private Division and developed by Wētā Workshop Game Studio, lets you live life as a Hobbit in the idyllic town of Bywater, which is not yet established as an official village in Hobbiton. The idea of the game is to help bring the community together and achieve official village status by throwing the greatest Bywater Festival the Shire has ever seen.

Expect plenty of wholesome, Hobbit-centric gameplay, including creating and personalizing a Hobbit with an array of customisations, decorating a cosy Hobbit home, and venturing outside for cooking, fishing, foraging, gardening, and more relaxing activities in the Shire.

According to Private Division, the Embracer Group-owned Middle-earth Enterprises has licensed the literary works of The Lord of the Rings series, providing Wētā Workshop Game Studio with “the broadest creative license to interpret the underlying lore of the books.”

Here’s the official blurb:

Toss your lure to catch trout from the glistening waters of Bywater Pool, gather wild mushrooms, and then use the collected ingredients to bake a succulent pie to serve for luncheon. With a full belly, stroll back outside to explore the Shire and build relationships with the Bywater locals by helping them to build a garden, sharing one of the many daily Hobbit meals, and more.

There’s also word that you’ll meet “iconic characters and familiar Hobbit families” to trade for upgrades to skills, clothes, home, and more. Private Division failed to say which characters, although the trailer shows a glimpse at a famous wizard.

Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game launches in the second half of 2024 on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.