Canned Lord of the Rings MMO now formally cast aside, Amazon claim they've still got a game "that does justice to Tolkien's world" in the works

Also, they reportedly pushed a antithetic dev squad towards making an AI-stuffed game, past laid those aforesaid devs off

Image credit: Amazon

Amazon's Lord Of The Rings MMO, antecedently thought dormant amid wide layoffs, is present precise overmuch conclusively deceased. Though, the coporation accidental they're inactive exploring "a compelling caller crippled acquisition that does justness to Tolkien's world".

"Our originative squad continues to research a compelling caller crippled acquisition that does justness to Tolkien's world; we are moving intimately with Middle-earth and stay excited astir the IP," Amazon's caput of games Jeff Grattis told Eurogamer, who've conducted a wider probe into the company's propulsion towards utilizing generative AI successful improvement anterior to past year's layoffs.

As has consistently been the lawsuit implicit the years arsenic Amazon person said 2 Lord of the Rings MMOs were successful the works arsenic portion of partnerships lone to subsequently scrap them, factual details astir what this latest 1 would've entailed are scarce. It'd much than apt person contained immoderate hobbits.

Moving distant from tiny phantasy blokes, Eurogamer's wider study focuses connected a crippled codenamed Project Trident, which reportedly started retired arsenic Shadow of the Colossus-style co-op enactment crippled astir battling towering nordic jotuns. Then, successful mid-2024 and anterior to that iteration of Project Trident being formally pitched, Amazon reportedly brought successful an "AI mandate" decreeing a propulsion indispensable beryllium made to "innovate with LLM tech successful each divisions".

Seeing this arsenic thing to abide by if they wanted to debar perchance being unopen down, the study claims the squad were fixed conscionable 18 months to get their crippled retired of the door, starring them to pivot to a Helldivers-inspired third-person enactment crippled acceptable successful a akin nordic world, but with missions you'd driblet into and interact with LLM-powered NPCs. Having adopted that mould due to the fact that they thought it'd beryllium much achievable to get up and moving quickly, the squad reportedly pivoted again to a linear azygous subordinate communicative aft their deadline was extended indefinitely.

Then, conscionable arsenic they were moving connected an "E3-style" demo, the devs were fto spell arsenic portion of Amazon's wide layoffs precocious past year, successful which astir 14,000 unit are believed to person mislaid their livelihoods. "I deliberation we did observe the champion ways and the worst ways that [generative AI implementation] tin happen," 1 root told Eurogamer, adding that it means thing arsenic Amazon "laid disconnected everyone that was an adept successful the champion and worst ways to instrumentality AI successful regards to crippled development."

Asked for remark connected the report, Amazon's Grattis said the following:

AI was not the crushed down relation reductions successful Games. Those changes were the effect of a strategical displacement successful our concern and a refocus connected the areas wherever Amazon tin present the astir worth to players. Great games are made by talented radical and we deliberation AI should grow what's possible. We stay focused connected utilizing these technologies thoughtfully and responsibly, ever guided by the creativity and judgement of our teams. We're arrogant of what our teams are creating, and we look guardant to sharing much of what they've been gathering soon.

The communicative told by the study isn't precisely 1 which paints Amazon arsenic being "guided by the creativity and judgment" erstwhile it comes to AI use. Well, here's hoping immoderate they've presently got going connected doesn't impact tons of weird chats with SamwAIse and BagginsGPT.