Daedalic Entertainment, Developer of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, Exits Game Development

German game developer Daedalic Entertainment, known for its work on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, has announced its departure from game development following the negative reception of its recent release.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum received largely negative reviews upon its launch last month, leading Daedalic Entertainment to issue an apology on Twitter. The developer expressed regret for the game not meeting the expectations set for both themselves and the dedicated community.

As a consequence of the backlash, it appears that the fate of Daedalic Entertainment’s internal development studio has been affected. According to reports from German website Games Wirtschaft, the planned sequel to The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has been cancelled, and the studio intends to lay off at least 25 members of its 90-person team.

Daedalic Entertainment has emphasized its commitment to supporting the affected employees during this transition period and assisting them in finding new opportunities within the company’s network.

The reported changes are not expected to impact the development of Surviving Deponia, a game recently announced by Daedalic. The external team at AtomicTorch will lead the development of this title.

It remains uncertain how Daedalic will proceed with improving The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, including addressing bugs and technical issues, releasing patches, and planned DLC content. The status of the game’s release on the Nintendo Switch is also unclear.

The team at Daedalic previously expressed dedication to rectifying the issues and providing patches to ensure players can enjoy the game. They expressed appreciation for players’ understanding and support during that time.

Daedalic Entertainment’s decision to exit game development marks a significant shift for the company, leaving fans and industry observers curious about its future endeavors.