Producers Of 'Tales Of The Shire' Talk About Making Their “Love Letter" To Tolkien
Image Source: Gamespot
When Covid-19 hit in 2020, it upended nearly everything about daily life on the planet. For those who love to play video games, which seems like something that would be perfectly capable of thriving in such a setting, the pandemic didn’t spare them either.
This led to a boom in what is called “cozy” games. Games like Stardew Valley, and Disney Dreamlight Valley, and a whole smattering of games of a similar style grew in popularity, likely due to their (mostly) calm and leisurely pace. In a time when the world was rapidly adjusting to the first global pandemic in a century, it was something many people desperately needed.
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Calliope Ryder, lead game producer for New Zealand-based Wētā Workshop, said as much when talking to TheOneRing.net’s Kili. They wanted to find a way to help people looking to connect with nature more while doing what they know best, and that’s The Lord of the Rings. It was a difficult time and people were turning to cozy games for that escape, and Ryder and others at Wētā Workshop set to work putting together Tales of the Shire. “…this is a game in which we want people to feel like they can unwind and chill in the Shire,” she stated.
She and Executive Producer, Morgan Jafft, drew inspiration from the same inspiration that guided the five hobbits on their journeys in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit: The Shire. Jafft talked about how throughout the stories, the motivation for the hobbits to take on this incredible journey was always to come home to the Shire. The draw of the land and the community was always in the background, inspiring them to continue so they could come home. Much like Sam talking to Frodo on the side of Mount Doom after destroying the ring, remembering the comforts of home in what they thought were their final moments. That same love is what spurred the development team to make their “love letter” to Tolkien.
Ryder talked also about the game feeling handcrafted. They paid a lot of attention to detail and focused on a “creativity first” mentality. They worked closely with Wētā Workshop as well as Tolkien experts Daniel Falconer and Sir Richard Taylor to ensure authenticity and accuracy in a game that puts a magnifying glass on the Shire. Furthermore, some familiar faces will be (and have been, via the trailer) seen in the players’ traversing of the Shire and the forests around it. There are even some new faces that Ryder suggests are easter eggs and hint at something more.
Tales of the Shire will be released later this year on all major platforms.
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Source(s): The One Ring
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