Lord Of The Rings fans are expressing frustration following the much-anticipated release of ‘Tales Of The Shire’, a cosy life-sim game set in Middle-earth, which finally launched July 29.
Despite years of buildup and high expectations, early reactions have branded the game “mediocre,” with players citing numerous bugs and lacklustre content.
First announced in 2022, Tales Of The Shire promised a peaceful, Hobbit-centric experience, letting players build their lives in Tolkien’s iconic world.
Developer Wētā Workshop said they were excited for fans to explore Middle-earth in a “new and inviting way,” while publisher Private Division described it as the cosy Lord Of The Rings game fans had been waiting for.
However, the game’s development was marked by multiple delays — first from an initial Autumn 2024 release to February 2025, and then again just before launch — to “ensure that every Hobbit, on every platform, can enjoy the same cosy experience.”
Now that Tales Of The Shire is finally out, players are not impressed.
A reviewer called the game “bare-bones at best.”
Currently holding an average score of 59/100 on Metacritic, Tales Of The Shire has drawn criticism for its buggy mechanics and underwhelming gameplay.
IGN slammed it as “a promising idea that turned out dreadfully boring and extremely buggy,” even noting a glitch that forced them to repeat the same in-game day five times.
The Nintendo Switch version has been called “unplayable” due to severe graphics issues and performance problems.
As of now, developers Wētā Workshop have yet to respond to the wave of negative feedback.