The universe created in 1950 by the brilliant English writer J.R.R. Tolkien has become the greatest creation in the history of fantasy literature. Nothing is as widely known or as internationally acclaimed as the adventures of Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring.
For this reason, the heirs of Tolkien, who hold the rights to exploit the author’s work, have guarded his legacy so closely.
In the past 20 years, the works bearing the signature of The Lord of the Rings have been synonymous with success… until now.
From being the most precious rights in the literary universe… to being worth two bucks
Last summer, the Swedish conglomerate Embracer Group acquired the rights to The Lord of the Rings without disclosing the purchase price. Now, it has been confirmed that the company paid a surprisingly low price for the most recognizable fantasy franchise in history.
According to the company’s annual report, Embracer Group bought the rights from Saul Zaentz Company for 4.2 billion Swedish kronor, which is approximately 395 million dollars.
When the deal was announced, Variety reported that the rights, which include films, video games, board games, merchandise, theme parks, and theatrical productions, were estimated to be worth 2 billion dollars. It appears that the Swedish conglomerate has struck a lucrative deal.
Having paid so little for the rights to The Lord of the Rings, Embracer Group shouldn’t have too many problems turning it into one of the biggest game franchises in history.
“We own The Lord of the Rings, and we know we have to exploit it significantly and turn it into one of the biggest video game franchises in the world. And that’s something we are obviously going to do,” explain their spokespersons.
Daedalic released the first game under the new rights owners’ supervision last month. This game is none other than The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and the press wasted no time in awarding it the title of the worst game of the decade.
If Embracer Group’s idea is to allow any company to make a movie, a video game, or a series bearing the Lord of the Rings brand by simply paying royalties, we can consider Tolkien’s legacy lost.
Later this year, another game based on Tolkien’s beloved fantasy books will be released. The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a survival game in which players take on the roles of dwarves attempting to reclaim their long-lost underground kingdom.
In addition, Amazon Games is in the process of creating a new MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) game set in the world of The Lord of the Rings. The future can be either very bleak or very bright for Tolkien fans.
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