LOS ANGELES – July 29, 2025 – Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings ™ Game, the cosy life sim that captures the heart of The Shire, developed by Wētā Workshop and published by Private Division, is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. The game will be available digitally and physically worldwide. The Retail Edition is available now at talesoftheshire.iam8bit.com for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch, alongside the digital release. Fans who pre-ordered the iam8bit Exclusive Edition can expect their pre-orders to begin shipping today.
In this heart-warming The Lord of the Rings™ game, live the cosy life of a Hobbit in the wonderfully serene landscape of The Shire. Discover, decorate, and share in this peaceful corner of Middle-earth while playing a big part in helping the quaint town of Bywater flourish. Bring comfort to your home as you decorate your own Hobbit-hole and prepare homemade meals to share with fellow Hobbits. Relish in the outdoors by tending to your garden, fishing at serene ponds, and foraging wild bounty in the peaceful forests. Trade goods amongst townsfolk and foster relationships that turn into forever friendships, all in the town of Bywater. Your arrival marks the start of your story, which you can play at your own pace. It’s up to you to complete the Tales, or simply explore and thrive in your cosy Hobbit life for as long as you wish.
Wētā Workshop Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Richard Taylor says, “we have a deep love of J.R.R. Tolkien and the world he created, having worked with his stories and characters for more than 25 years.”
“While we are better known for depicting epic battle scenes and grisly creatures from Tolkien’s imagination, with Tales of the Shire we have deliberately taken a much more Hobbit-friendly pace and poured our hearts into creating a wonderfully cosy corner of Middle-earth for everyone to enjoy.”
You can watch the launch trailer here and download assets for the game here.
For the latest updates on Tales of the Shire, check out the website and follow on X, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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About Wētā Workshop Ltd
Wētā Workshop brings imaginary worlds to life by delivering concept design, physical effects, collectibles, immersive visitor experiences and games to the world’s entertainment and creative industries.
Established by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger in 1987, we are best known for our screen work on The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, the Avatar films, Dune and many more. Also our immersive visitor experiences, Gallipoli: The Scale of our War, Expo 2020 Dubai’s Mobility Pavilion and Wētā Workshop Unleashed. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Wētā Workshop’s ground-breaking work has earned us multiple international awards. Wētā Workshop Game Studio was established in 2014 and is led by an experienced team of creative game developers and film veterans who bring Wētā Workshop’s signature storytelling, technical innovation and artistry to our games studio.
About Middle-earth Enterprises
Middle-earth Enterprises owns exclusive worldwide rights to motion picture, merchandise, live stage and services inspired by The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books by J.R.R. Tolkien. We have produced and licensed goods based upon these four books for half a century. Inspired by our deep appreciation for the fictional world created by Professor Tolkien, we are dedicated to working with those developing highest quality creations inspired by the lore; in accordance with state-of-the-art green business and sustainability practices, including fair trade, equality in the workplace, and a deep commitment to protect our Earth, its wondrous beauty, and the viability of every living creature. As Middle-earth’s stewards and custodians, our goal is to consistently deliver a wealth of great content in new and known formats; to ensure Middle-earth’s rightful place as the world’s leading fantasy IP & brand, forever.
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Karolina Kecki
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