Chinese Owner of Digital Extremes & Splash Damage Working on Lord of the Rings MMO

Leyou Technologies, the Chinese holding company that owns Digital Extremes (Warframe) and Splash Damage (Dirty Bomb), announced yesterday that they reached an agreement with Middle-earth Enterprises, the owner of the Lord of the Rings IP, to develop a new Lord of the Rings MMO. The game will be published by a newly formed publishing brand called 'Athlon Games' which will focus on free to play games.

Who we are: Athlon Games is a global developer and publisher of free-to-play console and PC games. Our headquarters are in Burbank, with offices in London and Beijing. Athlon Games Inc. is a subsidiary of Leyou Technologies Holdings Limited.

Our Philosophy: Our goal is to create AAA cooperative console and PC experiences that gamers will want to play for many years. We believe great games come from great communities where everyone has a voice. We believe our games should be of the highest quality, created by the industry’s best global talent. We believe our games should surprise and delight our fans – every day, week, month, year and beyond.

Our Approach to Games:

• Built to Last: We make games that players will want to play for many years where there is always something new to discover – every day, week, month and year
• Quality is in our DNA: Created by the industry’s best global talent, our games feature high quality, immersive worlds with unmatched gameplay for beginners and veterans
• Community First: Every game we make is a unique collaboration between the developer and the game’s community

No word on when the new Lord of the Rings game is set to release or what kind of MMO it'll be, but given how big of a franchise it is, I'm excited to hear more. No word on how this announcement will effect The Lord of the Rings Online which is currently published by Standing Stone Games.