Electronic Arts (EA) will continue to make video games based on New Line Cinema’s blockbuster Lord of the Rings films for at least another year. The company has been producing interactive titles around the filmed adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works since 2001 and has renewed the license through 2008.
EA acquired the game rights to the Lord of the Rings franchise in an agreement with the Saul Zaentz Co. and Tolkien Enterprises, in addition to a separate agreement allowing for games based on the New Line films. The next game set in Middle-earth is scheduled to ship in 2008.
Combined, New Line’s three CG-heavy Rings films have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, making the game license one of the most desirable film-based properties. Director Peter Jackson was in talks to make a fourth film, based on Tolkien’s The Hobbit, before he brought a law suit against New Line claiming the studio owed him money. New Line plans to move forward with the movie sans Jackson, though rights holder Zaentz has publically stated that he wants the Kiwi auteur at the helm.
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