Daedalic, the German video game developer behind the notorious, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum game, will no longer be moving forward with a second title, which was also set to take place in the blockbuster franchise. As originally reported by German gaming news outlet, Gameswirtschaft.de, Daedalic was working on a Lord of the Rings game with the codename “It’s Magic.” The outlet further reported the following description of the title saying:
“Daedalic is working on a new project that will transport the player into a lush world full of mythical creatures and magic. It tells a story from a character’s perspective that has never been told before. The player discovers completely new regions and influences the events of the world within the scope of his role and his abilities. In his own way, he tries to influence the course of things and change the fate of the world. This project is aimed at avid fans of the fantasy story and 3D action-adventure genres around the world.”
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It has now been revealed, once again by Gameswirtschaft.de, that the game will not be released by August, 2024 and instead has been completely scrapped. Instead, the developer has closed down internal development and has had to layoff 25 employees. Nacon, a French video game development company, announced last year it was acquiring Daedalic, however there have been no reports as to how these layoffs will impact the acquisition.
How Did Daedalic Manage to Find Itself in Such a Horrible Business Situation With the Lord of the Rings Franchise?
Daedalic brought itself into the public light in the worst possible way when gameplay footage of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was leaked to YouTube just days before the title was set to release. Fans were quick to criticize both the style of the game as well as the mechanics. When the game was finally released, critics expressed discontent with the choices made by the title’s developer. The game was criticized for not being completely stable, having technically issues, and experiencing continuous crashes until Daedalic made some day one patch work. There were also several critics who were disappointed by the story, saying it was uninteresting and that the mission designs were boring.
SEE ALSO: Game Teaser Of ‘The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum’ Released
The game barely had a chance to walk and it was already clear to fans and critics alike that it was a mess rolled up in Lord of the Rings packaging. Eurogamer, Digital Trends, and The Guardian all gave the title a one star review. The game also received intense criticism from Game Informer, GameSpot, IGN, and our critics here at FandomWire, who were less than impressed by the quality of work released by Daedalic. It is unsurprising the bad press from The Lord of the Rings: Gollum caused issues for the developer, however, there may have been no way to tell just how bad things would be for the company. Daedalic will continue to publish games despite layoffs, although it is clear things are not looking up for its’ future.
What do you think of the recent events that led to the cancellation of another planned Lord of the Right title? Should Daedalic have tried to push the game out and worked for redemption, or is it a good thing codename, “It’s Magic,” will never see the light of day? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: Gameswirtschaft.de
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