The Lord of the Rings: Gollum gets a release date and a cinematic trailer

The Middle-earth stealth adventure is coming to PlayStation, Xbox and PC on 1 September

Steve Hogarty
Wednesday 25 May 2022 07:02 EDT
The titles will focus on Gollum’s quiet cunning as he sticks to the shadows to outwit his enemies
The titles will focus on Gollum’s quiet cunning as he sticks to the shadows to outwit his enemies (iStock/The Independent)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Mucky wet gremlin simulator Lord of the Rings: Gollum is set to release on 1 September, developer Daedalic has announced.

The unlikely stealth adventure spin-off stars the ring-thirsty little oik himself, and will appear on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. And a Nintendo Switch version is due to follow later.

Pitched as a refreshing alternative to the usual action-rammed sword-slashing and epic fantasy battles found elsewhere in the legendary franchise, Lord of the Rings: Gollum will focus instead on the protagonist’s quiet cunning as he sneaks around avoiding combat, sticking to the shadows and outwitting his enemies.

On his big day out in Middle-earth, Gollum will leave behind the dank caves of the Misty Mountains to embark on “a perilous journey that leads him from the dungeons of Barad-dûr to the realm of the Wood-elves in Mirkwood”, according to the developer.

Along the way you’ll have to contend with Gollum’s infamous dual-personality, as his old Hobbit-self and alter-ego Sméagol comes to the fore to try to influence important moral decisions. It’s basically a good cop, bad cop scenario, but with a wretched grey dweeb instead of a cop.

When is ‘Lord of the Rings: Gollum’ being released?

Lord of the Rings: Gollum has a release date of 1 September 2022. It will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. A Nintendo Switch version will follow later in 2022. A physical, boxed edition will be available for consoles.

As part of Daedalic’s announcement, a cinematic trailer was released alongside some new screenshots and details about how the latest game in Tolkein’s world will play out.

We’re pleased to see games taking a greater interest in the more peculiar characters of Middle-earth, so it’ll be interesting to see if Gollum can handle the pressure of a starring role. More information is expected to arrive in the lead up to game’s launch so we’ll keep you posted.

Voucher codes

If you’re looking for discounts on technology or video games then try one of these codes:

Want your games to sound their very best? Check out our round-up of the best wireless headphones for music and gaming

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in