Games Workshop, a British model maker, Warhammer Games, the distant future 40K And fantastic decoration Age of Sigmar And its predecessor. But since 2001, the company has also been very The Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson’s film trilogy and ultimately The Hobbit Now it’s on the brink of a brand new edition… Battle of the Five Armies.
Games Workshop confirmed today that they will be releasing a new edition of Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game (MESBG, as it has become known since adding factions from Middle-earth). The Hobbit Final Fantasy XIV: Trilogy is coming soon, the first since the last major overhaul in 2018, along with new rulesets for both factions and new updates to the current factions. The Lord of the Rings and The HobbitThe new edition will feature new models inspired by the upcoming animated film. The Rohirrim’s War.
While details are still being revealed, this will be the first time since the release of the final edition that the tabletop game will use new licensed material for its miniatures, especially considering we’ve barely seen the film despite it being released in theaters at the end of this year. The Hobbit The film was released in 2014. MESBG operates in a particularly strange niche within an already strange interconnected system of licensing rights. The Lord of the Rings To begin with, Games Workshop’s deal covers both the Warner Bros./New Line films and Tolkien’s book material through its partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises, which was acquired from original rights holder Saul Zaentz by entertainment conglomerate Embracer Group in 2022.
Embracer maintained its licensing agreement during the transition period, which meant that Games Workshop could not get its hands on any subsequent adaptations. Ring of Power For now, those rights are part of a separate deal Amazon Studios made directly with the Tolkien Estate in 2017, so any new attempts to incorporate visual imagery or show-specific versions of characters like Galadriel, Gil-galad, and Elrond (who already appear in various forms in MES Games Workshop based on their appearances in the films) would require a new deal. The Rohirrim’s War Perhaps if any of this actually comes to fruition in the future, Warner Bros.’ new The Lord of the Rings Movies like Andy Serkis Hunt Gollum— may likewise be accessible to model makers.
It’s an exciting time for Games Workshop’s little-known but fascinating tabletop franchise, and as we get closer to the release of its latest edition, presumably later this year, we’ll likely learn more about plans for the Middle-earth strategy battle game. The Rohirrim’s WarScheduled to be released in December.
Want more news from io9? Check out everything you need to know about when the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases are due, what’s next for the DC Universe in movies and TV, and the future of Doctor Who.