Tales of the Shire will Release with Netflix Games – Let’s Get Nerdy!

Tales of the Shire is an upcoming cozy video game developed by Wētā Workshop and currently slated for release in the “second half of 2024”. It is set post-events of The Lord of the Rings during The Fourth Age of Middle-Earth and encompasses gameplay elements similar to Animal Crossing. Presently, Tales of the Shire is one of the most highly anticipated video games of the year and the most highly anticipated Lord of the Rings-adjacent release of the year.

This post contains potential spoilers for Tales of the Shire. These are based on what we’ve seen in trailers and early looks, but if you want to avoid spoilers, come back later and see if I was right!

The more we hear about Tales of the Shire the more places it is poised to be available! When the teaser trailer dropped it wasn’t confirmed to be releasing on Nintendo Switch and we now know it is. (if you know me you know the Switch news is exciting for me, personally) The most recent addition to playable platform is …

… Netflix Games?!

If you, like me, have only the barest of understanding that Netflix Games is a thing that exists this may seem to mean little to nothing. In the interest of this: let’s get into it!

What does it mean for Tales of the Shire to be on Netflix Games?

Per a press release on the subject from Netflix Games:

Netflix is all about choice, and just like our members might watch an award-winning film one day and a whole season of a reality show the next, we’re building a games portfolio meant to offer something to every one of our members, no matter your taste or mood. That’s why we’re excited to highlight 14 games coming soon to Netflix.

… and they go on to specifically mention Tales of the Shire:

Live the cozy life of a Hobbit in Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings™ Game, coming exclusively to mobile for Netflix members. Test your puzzle-solving skills in Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure. Or go on a musical adventure in Harmonium: The Musical, which combines interactive sign language into a musical and visual wonderland.

… adding at the bottom of the press release:

Live the cozy life of a Hobbit in Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings™ Game. Play as a Hobbit directly out of J.R.R Tolkien’s beloved books, and discover and share in this idyllic corner of Middle-earth. Greet comfort at the door as you decorate your own Hobbit hole, tend to your garden, fish at the clear ponds, forage wild fruits and herbs, or trade with townsfolks. Prepare homemade meals to share with fellow Hobbits and foster relationships. Unwind in the place where what matters most are all the little things and help bring the community together to achieve village status in Bywater.

Readers of this feature series may be scratching your heads as there is no new information on Tales of the Shire in the official Netflix Games press release. As much as there is no additional information about how a person will be able to play the game? Will it be included with a pre-existing Netflix package? I don’t know about you, but my Netflix subscription costs a lot less than a brand new game for my Nintendo Switch. 

There’s a possibility for The Lord of the Rings larger multimedia franchise to push the boundaries on how we think of video games with Tales of the Shire releasing on Netflix Games the same way the original Lord of the Rings film trilogy did with the medium of movies. Time will tell!

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