The greatest gathering of fans happens next week! That’s right San Diego Comic-Con 2024 is coming up, so once again it’s time for MadEyeGamgee and myself to speculate on the Middle-earth collectibles we might see.
Our special guest is Tyler McClim who helps hosts The Lord of the Collections podcast on YouTube. Over our 90 minute conversation we chat about what we want to see not only at SDCC, but also in the time after Comic-Con.
We hope you enjoy this episode and we look forward to reviewing what we saw post SDCC.
Completing his journey through Tolkien’s trilogy, artist Jackson Robinson’s 52-card playing deck designed around The Return of the King allows fans to play Hold ‘Em with their favorite kings of Middle-earth. Robinson chats with us about finding fresh new ways to be creative with the most successful and standardized tabletop game of all time.
These officially licensed playing cards feature original artwork designed by Robinson, based on and inspired by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. Like adaptations in other media, he has full access to every word in The Lord of the Rings books to draw original inspiration from. The first deck in the LOTR series, based on Fellowship of the Rings, became one of his most successful crowdfunds ever, with over 8,000 fans taking it over 3,000% its funding goal in 2022. A year later, The Two Towers similarly exploded in popularity. For this third set, a beautiful new wood box and display case for the whole trilogy of card packs has been created.
The Road Less Traveled and following a new career path
How does one start making official The Lord of the Rings cards? This all started with an idea and an artist’s hand. “I lived in Los Angeles for a few years and was an art director for a game studio, trying to get into that kind of Hollywood world via toy packaging. King Wild Project, my playing card thing, really kind of happened by accident. I had never thought about doing playing cards before in my life, and I did a playing card Kickstarter that was a deck of cards that looked like money, that was called the Federal 52. This was in 2013, and it kind of just blew up and fell in my lap. My wife and I were like, uh, what’s up with this? And so, it was literally, I’m gonna do this playing card thing until it breaks. I ended up quitting my full-time job to get started, and it hasn’t broke yet. My story kind of went in a different direction from where I thought I wanted to go, but I’m kind of glad that it did because I was able to kind of go on a path that there’s not very many people on right now. Even though the playing card world has kind of exploded over the past 10 years, it’s still a very small world, and a very small niche, and I get the freedom to kind of do what I want with it. The excitement is getting able to do what I want, in terms of being able to make the Lord of the Rings characters!”
Robinson’s company Kings Wild Project has since worked with Brandon Sanderson’s MISTBORN, Frank Frazetta’s estate, and created original playing card decks around other fun themes like the Founding Fathers and Arthurian legends. “Illuminated manuscripts is a big influence for me. A lot of my decks are based on classic literature so anytime I do a classic literature deck, I try to pair up the card style with a kind of art style that could have been around the same time period. So I did a deck of cards called the Arthurian, which is the King Arthur legend, and it’s in the style of the Book of the Kells.”
Even the lettering and fonts are all original, including The Lord of the Rings title on the card box. “All the artwork, from every letter to every line, that’s all artwork that I do myself. I do have an incredible crew of about four people that work for me that have been with me the past few years. They’re a great crew, but the artwork is all stuff that I do.”
More than just 52 card decks
Robinson is partnering with Shire Post Mint for buttons and a black walnut box adornment. “Something that’s brand new that we haven’t done before is for people that play poker, blackjack or whatever, they have this dealer button or card cover. It’s basically something that you put over your cards to signify to the dealer that you don’t want to take a hit or you don’t want any more cards, or it also signifies that this person’s the dealer as that dealer button travels. We call it the dealer medallion and it weighs close to half a pound.”
Another option in this kickstarter is a tabletop puzzle. “We’ve done a jigsaw puzzle for each deck. We have a Fellowship puzzle, The Two Towers puzzle, and now the Return of the King puzzle. Because this is the third deck in the series, there’s a lot of things that are kind of like the best-of, all-star thing. It doesn’t just have the Return of the King characters on the puzzle, it has all of the cards from all three decks. Plus our jigsaw puzzles are two sided, so there’s usually a photo of the playing cards spread out over a table to assemble.”
Because these cards are made with the book license from Middle-earth Enterprises, there was a bit of a challenge to avoid hewing too close to the popular movies. “If Legolas starts to look like Orlando Bloom a little bit, we need to bring it back. Or looking at that little description of the eye ringed in flame, I was just kind of pulling on what the text said. Apart from the big eye on the top of the tower or that iconic helmet from the movies, it felt like I can’t put spikes on anything that’s gonna go straight up or it’s gonna look like the movies. So, that was fun, but it was also nerve-wracking.”
It’s not just character designs that are considered. There are gorgeous borders, pips, filigree, and ornate details everywhere, on every card. “Going back to the storytelling aspect of it, that’s something that I’ve tried to do. Going beyond not just portraying the character, but also trying to tell a kind of a meaningful story throughout. In the Fellowship of the Ring deck, the borders were all themed based on a season. Spring, Winter, Summer, Fall. The Two Towers borders were based on elements like fire, water, wind, and earth. Now, with Return of the King, they’re all based on metals. Mithril, which is the spade border; Iron, that’s the clubs; Gold, the hearts. It builds on the cohesiveness of it actually being a functional deck of playing cards where the spades are all this kind of red background with this ironwork, and the diamonds are all this to help to tell a story, but it gives more layers of storytelling.”
The Lord of the Rings cards come in standard printing and foil printing, which also includes gilding of the side edges of the card. Check out everything and discover more details here.
Watch the hour long interview with Jackson Robinson on his The Lord of the Rings cards below:
TORn’s good friend Donato Giancola is no stranger to the realms of Middle-earth. His book Middle-earth: Journeys in Myth and Legend is filled with incredible art inspired by Tolkien, and at 2022’s exhibition of his work at the Huntsville Museum of Art, his giant ‘Beacons of Gondor’ painting took centre stage.
He now brings us word that he has completed his latest large-scale painting. This time the title is ‘Bridge of Khazad-dûm’. Here’s a video of the work:
If you’d love to have such a masterpiece hanging on your wall, the good news is that prints are available – in limited numbers! Find out how you can get your hands on a print – and other Middle-earth goodies – here. And feast your eyes on ‘Bridge of Khazad-dûm’ in all its glory:
Coming soon to consoles, mobile, and PC, Tales of the Shire introduces a new vision of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Hobbit landscape as a cozy, comfortable place to return to in a more personal interactive way.
TheOneRing.net’s Justin and Kellie recently caught up with the producers on Tales of the Shire, and you can read her report here. The game is being developed internally at Wētā Workshop in New Zealand and published worldwide by Private Division. After the recently released first-look trailer, fans wanted to know more how about this project came about, and why the Oscar winning design studio decided to start making games based on The Lord of the Rings.
Justin: Thank you for chatting with TheOneRing.net. Please introduce yourselves to the fans!
Morgan: I’m Morgan Jaffit. Executive Producer on Tales of the Shire.
Calliope: And I am Calliope Ryder, the lead producer on Tales of the Shire.
Building on the Legacy of The Lord of the Rings
Justin: Talk about the legacy of Wētā Workshop. You’re making a video game, but there’s a whole legacy of building a world class Shire on film and in physical spaces in Matamata. So where do you even start with a new form of adaptation?
Calliope: We are very fortunate that a lot of people on the team have been working in, well sort of living in, the Middle-earth environment for quite a long time. There’s our art director who worked on The Hobbit and actually many people on the team who’ve worked in concepting in departments on various Lord of the Rings things. It’s sort of a natural extension of what has happened in the past, but with a really new brushstroke. Sort of a fairy tale lens, everything is rose tinted: how can we make this Shire a really, really cozy place? How can we sort of give a new visual expression of what Wētā has done, like leaning on the experience that we’ve got, to make something that looks unique but is still very clearly of Middle-earth?
Morgan: It just runs through the veins of every Wētā Workshop project. Dan Falconer is just up the road. And when Darren, our narrative lead, says, “I wonder about this? Let’s ask Dan.” Dan wanders down and gives this insight during a build review. Fans all know Richard Taylor, who has the finest eye for visual detail that I have seen in a human, and has lived in this world forever. He will look at something and say, “No, the way that sword hangs is incorrect! We need to make a nine-degree change to the tilt of the tip of the sheath.”
That sort of detail and that sort of precision is there every day. It’s there in focused ways, in members of the team, and it’s there in just the framework of the organization that we draw on. It’s the people working it through every day. I’ll look around and think, that person knows more about this than anyone else in the entire universe. It’s been a real privilege to be involved in that.
Calliope: I think it’s pretty rare for a studio to make this commercial game and have access to so many experts in so many different fields. Morgan mentioned the leather working thing earlier, but across the board is just so much wealth of knowledge to draw from every direction.
Morgan: Plus, there is support and elevation for excellence. I actually don’t think you can get to excellence through pressure. You can only get there through support, camaraderie, and teamwork. It’s a muscle they’ve been training every day. And it’s a filter as well. When you know Daniel Falconer or Richard Taylor comes by and says, “Oh, this is what would make it better,” — they tend to be right. So we need to go make it better. It’s all very easy while also being the hardest thing in the world.
Justin: Speaking of this team of experts, what do the demographics look like on the development team?
Morgan: There’s a good and diverse team making the game. Except for the fact that it’s overwhelmed with New Zealanders!
Calliope: Actually, I would say Commonwealths, so lot of Kiwis and a lot of Australians. We’ve got a few Brits. We’ve got a Canadian, specifically a New Zealand Canadian expat. It’s changed quite a bit lately, and like all game studios, it ebbs and flows. I’m sort of the person on this project where if a question comes up for a particular thing, they are told to ‘make Cal happy’!
Justin: How did Wētā Workshop decide to start making games, and building out a game development team?
Calliope: Before my time, Wētā Workshop was working on an augmented reality project for a game based on our own IP, Dr Grordbort’s: Invaders – however this was never released. So there was already the foundation for making tech, making video or experimental tech, and video games and gamified experiences. When the project ended, we still had a bunch of devs around and accessible to us. So they got to work trying to figure out what the next step was. Making something that was a bit more easily accessible for a wider audience was a pretty high priority.
Morgan: I think the Wētā DNA is: have amazing people, look at how to apply them to problems that haven’t been solved before, and find people who want to partner up and do things right. I think they have a game studio because that was the right solution to the question of what to do with amazing people. It’s sort of a symbiotic relationship when you talk about the growth. There’s this push and pull, and I think part of the reason that we’re seeing gaming success in New Zealand is from the sorts of things that are going on, as well as a quicker development time for work. Yeah, it’s just a really great ecosystem.
Justin: With the two different companies collaborating on this game, how have you divided the work between Wētā Workshop and Private Division? What does that relationship look like?
Morgan: It’s a really traditional publisher-developer relationship, with a slight difference. It wouldn’t be unusual for a publisher to have an IP like Middle-earth with a game in mind, where they were talking to developers and getting developers lined up. But obviously Wētā Workshop itself has a long relationship with Middle-earth Enterprises. So Wētā Workshop went to Private Division and said this is a game we really want to make. Private Division said we think that’s a great idea. They’ve helped with resources, marketing support, and distribution. They’ve been really great partners from a production standpoint and helping to manage. There are an enormous amount of different wheels to turn to get a big game made. But when it comes to the game, when it comes to what goes into the game, that is all Wētā Workshop. The team are on site (or in some cases remote), but it’s Wētā people, making a Wētā game, the Wētā way, and working with Private Division to get that out to the world.
Calliope: One of the really good things about Private Division, when you look through their portfolio of previous titles, is that they place a really high value on artistic expression and creatives. I think that’s a pretty good match for us because if there’s anything that we want to do really well, and own more, it’s the artistic expression of the Shire.
Making Games in New Zealand
Justin: It seems like there’s a huge game development scene in New Zealand, with the CODE program where the government supports game developers with funding.
Calliope: I have to give credit where credit’s due. CODE Center of Digital Excellence is a government funded grant program with the aim to start more indie gaming studios in the region. Just being in New Zealand, we’re a long way away from GDC and the rest of the world. Obviously with COVID the climate’s changed a bit, but it’s hard for us to pitch new games. It costs a lot of money to go to gaming industry events for people who don’t have backing. With CODE starting things up in Dunedin, and now nationally across New Zealand, it had this huge boom and a lot of gaming devs are now doing really well. It feels very nice for gaming to finally be recognized. For a long time, games were kind of lumped into sports, which we’re not, then we were always lumped in with the screen (filmmaking) initiatives, which we are not. So it’s really nice to feel like gaming is being recognized by and supported by the New Zealand government to bring New Zealand’s game development scene up.
Justin: Did this NZ indie gaming scene influence the creative decision to make a small cozy game, versus making a AAA-level game right out of the gate?
Calliope: I mean, for us, we have to sort of be a bit realistic, right? It would be incredibly hard to go from no game experience to a AAA game. We had to figure out what’s right for Wētā Workshop. What can we make to give back to the world? What can we make that is something that we really want to work on?
Morgan: It really was Wētā Workshop driven. Way more organic than you think. It’s an organic place. Just have the world’s best people, and then work out the problems with chewing gum. I mean, that is the sense I get from Richard and Tanya, and the rest of the crew all the way down.
The other thing I’d say is that, you know, we are aware that this is a game that different people will turn up to for different reasons. And it’s really important to us that all of them are welcomed with open arms and given the sort of experience that they want to get out of it. In terms of motivations, and in terms of demographics, that’s really how we’ve been thinking about it from the opening. But it’s also a part of the reason that, you know, Cal’s been such a great lead for this project – because she lives in that world, as do the other women on the team. Which is really important.
Justin: How much of pressure is there to be excellent at creative output? Is there pressure coming from the legacy at Wētā Workshop, that you’re building upon?
Calliope: What pressure? (sarcastic laugh) We recognize the opportunity that we’re given to build this game. We recognize – and we love – that we really care for the lore, we care for the IP, we really care for Middle-earth. We are a studio that is growing within a much older legacy of excellence, especially artistic creative excellence. I don’t think you could be at Wētā Workshop and not make an incredibly beautiful project, and hold yourself to the standard that you see around you every day.
What games the developers are playing
Justin: What are some of your favorite games? What do you play?
Calliope: This is not particularly cosy in this case, because in a way, I love Frostpunk, I adore Frostpunk. I can’t wait for number two to come out. I think there’s something that is actually really cosy about storms, winter, deep dark. The existence of a really harsh environment sort of creates that cosy feeling. I’ve been playing a little bit of Dreamlight Valley. I love games like Firewatch. I like tourism games, right? Like games where you get to explore, not so much action adventure, but in not quite walking sense, but just exploring beautiful environments.
Morgan: I’m ancient, so my tastes fossilized 100 years ago. Favorites would change from one day to the other, but Dungeon Master or Ultima IV. Space trading game Elite was very, very impactful on me, it had a huge impact. Device 6 is a mobile game by the studio that did Year Walk. Device 6 is like the old British television series Prisoner of War, which is kind of a surrealistic 60s mod text adventure on mobile, that’s just super my jam. I’m playing tons of Marvel Snap recently because I move around a lot and have kids. I love the first Arkham game. I think it represents a really significant point in the way development changed from one place to the other. System Shock 2 is hugely influential on me, and the Ultima Underworld games were remarkable at the time as they kind of exposed what 3D systemic gaming could be. I’ve always had a soft spot for everything that’s come out of the Looking Glass alumni. Deathloop is probably the most recent.
Justin: Helldivers 2 has really captured the imagination of everybody, because of the co-op and the fact that developers are like, “We’re leaving something in the game just because it’s fun.”
Calliope: For that type of game, it’s one of the more approachable ones that I’ve experienced, right? There’s some games that I play for social, and that’s games like Helldivers. And that’s because it feels good to do things with friends. Then there’s games where the purpose for me is to settle down, to have a nice little list that I can check off every day. I go around and do mining and watering different things, and Dorfromantik is one that I’m obsessed with, and keep returning to relax as a therapeutic game. Obviously Stardew Valley I’ve put an inordinate amount of time to – more than I put into Skyrim, and that’s saying something.
Justin: How do you manage that balance of adding things that are fun to play, but maybe are not accurate to the lore?
Morgan: I don’t think anywhere that I can think of where we had a fun-versus-lore question. I’m not saying it couldn’t happen, it just hasn’t. We’ve been committed from early on to a pretty high degree of verisimilitude but because of that, we are grounded. We are in the world of the lore. I don’t think anybody’s been like, I’d love to have a flamethrower mini game.
Calliope: *laughs* But a Balrog rising mini game could be fun!
Morgan: We understand that the interface layer and the in-game layer are separate. You wouldn’t have a backpack to put things in, but with tiny little boxes as a UI concept. That’s not a breach of lore issue. The people who know the lore are regularly like, “But NO!” about certain things, but not about fun game mechanics. When we look at fun ideas, like what if we had those type of characters turn up? Lore team would say, “No, those peoples are documented to have never come to the Shire. So, no you can’t!” It’s that simple.
We try to be consistent with the lore at all times because somebody is going to find an example and make our lore guys sad, but we are very consistent. We’re very, very conscious of it but it’s never felt like a restriction. There’s plenty of places to color in, plenty of places to enrich, and plenty of richness from the page.
Justin: What’s the primary platform: Switch, Xbox, Playstation, or PC? Can you talk about the expected lifecycle of the game?
Morgan: All the ones! We have no favorite children. We have developed and designed from the very beginning with an integrated experience on PC and very great experience on consoles. We expect people to have a long and enjoyable experience with this, and we expect to have a long and enjoyable experience ourselves.
Postscript: NETFLIX just announced that Tales of the Shire is coming to iPhone and Android via Netflix Games.
That’s it for our Tales of the Shire Producer Q&A! Also check out Kellie’s report on the creative process of the game here. Pre-order or wishlist the game at all the usual places, and prepare to settle into some cosy🇬🇧 or cozy🇺🇸 gaming later this year.
April 22, 2024 – This week in LOTR news, big business moves and huge reveals. Tales of the Shire Trailer reactions, Embracer rebrands as Middle-earth, Rings of Power cast reunite, LOTR returns to cinemas.
Tales of the Shire gets a teaser trailer
After three years of secret development, Weta Workshop and Private Division finally revealed the look and feel of their new cozy video game Tales of the Shire. Watch the whole trailer on YouTube and see the full announcement in an early post.
Reactions were swift coming in from Happy Hobbit (watch) and Nerd of the Rings (watch). Speaking of, Matt got an exclusive tour of the Weta Workshop games office in NZ, which you can watch below.
Embracer splits into three separate units
Embracer Group, which acquired Middle-earth Enterprises a couple years ago for $395 million (see the deal announcement here) have decided to split the company up into three unique entities, each publicly traded on Swedish NASDAQ.
Asmodee Group — board and card games
Coffee Stain & Friends — publishing & development for live service / indie / AA games
Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends — franchise management and AAA game development
“Friends” of Middle-earth include Embracer-owned Tomb Raider and Dark Horse Comics, as well as many other established big game developers and franchises. While these company names are temporary/holding per the press releases, there is clear positioning to put LOTR rights at the forefront. This will also be the first time regular fans will be able to buy and trade stock in Middle-earth Enterprises. Read more about why this is happening with this interview with the CEO.
Rings of Power cast reunite in London
Ismael Cruz Cordova, the breakout star of season one as Arondir the elf, posted pics with Tyroe Muhafidin, Owain Arthur, Sophia Nomvete and other cast members in London. Could marketing for Season 2 finally be about to start?
It’s really charming to see the cast of LOTR shows and movie grow to be ongoing friends in life.
DUNE Part Two Cinematographer chat with TORN!
Oscar-winning cinematographer Greig Fraser chatted with TORN Tuesday about the Australia and NZ film industry, the legacy of Andrew Lesnie, and recent work on The Batman, The Mandalorian, and Dune. Plus, a wild story about Peter Jackson on set for the Darth Vader scene in Rogue One. Watch on YouTube or below.
Dune Part Two is back in IMAX cinemas and available to buy/rent VOD.
The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions coming to U.S. Cinemas
Fathom Events are bringing the 3+ hour long Extended Editions of all three The Lord of the Rings movies to cinemas across the USA June 8, 9, 10. Check your local AMC / Cinemark / Regal or local theater for tickets.
Private Division and Weta Workshop have today shared a trailer for their upcoming sim game, Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game. It’s a bucolically blissful as you might expect; see for yourself:
Coming in the second half of 2024, Tales of the Shire will be available for Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Here’s what the official press release tell us:
Welcome Home, Hobbit! Private Division and Wētā Workshop Announce Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game
Upcoming cosy The Lord of the Rings game set in the Middle-earth universe inspired by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien arrives later this year
New York, NY – April 22, 2024 – Private Division, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and Wētā Workshop, known for their work on the world of Middle-earth for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, today revealed Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, a cosy Hobbit life sim set in the Middle-earth universe of J.R.R. Tolkien. Developed by Wētā Workshop Game Studio, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wētā Workshop, Tales of the Shire will launch in the second half of 2024 on the Nintendo Switch™ system, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.
In Tales of the Shire, experience the storybook return to Middle-earth’s most inviting region by living life as a Hobbit in the idyllic town of Bywater. Unwind in the breathtaking pastures, visit the townsfolks’ local shops, or even enjoy second breakfast. Help bring the community together and achieve official village status by throwing the greatest Bywater Festival the Shire has ever seen!
“We’re excited to provide players with the opportunity to fulfil their fantasy of living their own humble Hobbit life in the Shire,” said Kelly Tyson, Head of Product at Wētā Workshop. “Tales of the Shire brings a cosy new dimension to the way fans can experience Middle-earth, with plenty of wholesome, Hobbit- centric gameplay to win-over newcomers to the genre.”
Create and personalise a Hobbit with an array of customisations to experience the world of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved Middle-earth universe your own way. Settle in and decorate a cosy Hobbit home, choosing from an array of furniture and home décor to create your unique, humble abode. Then head outdoors to Bywater for plenty of cooking, fishing, foraging, gardening, and more relaxing activities in the Shire. 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.
“The team at Wētā Workshop is creating a brilliant representation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved works that gives players the agency to create their own Hobbit experience in Middle-earth,” said Michael Worosz, Chief Strategy Officer, Take-Two Interactive, and Head of Private Division. “Players have been clamoring for a warm and inviting The Lord of the Rings game for years now, and it’s exactly what we’re delivering with Tales of the Shire.”
It’s no surprise that a video game in which Weta Workshop have had a hand should be stunning to look at; here are some screenshots from the game:
Become a Hobbit, decorate your Hobbit hole, and then explore the Shire to your heart’s content; what could be better? Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game can’t come soon enough!
The greatest gathering of fans happens next week! That’s right San Diego Comic-Con 2024 is coming up, so once again it’s time for MadEyeGamgee and myself to speculate on the Middle-earth collectibles we might see.
