Warhorse may be working on a Lord of the Rings game following the success of Kingdom Come II

Following the triumph of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Czech studio Warhorse Studios has confirmed the start of a new project. Very little is known about it so far, except that studio founder Daniel Vávra is not involved, as he has decided to focus on creating a full-length film adaptation of Kingdom Come.

Earlier, the gaming community speculated that the studio might move away from historical realism and shift toward fantasy, potentially exploring The Lord of the Rings universe. Some sources were skeptical of these rumors, while Vávra himself had previously expressed interest in Viking-themed projects. However, new information has added weight to these discussions.

According to Polish localizer and analyst Ryszard Chojnowski, speaking on the Tolkien Polska podcast, Warhorse has been working for some time on a large-scale AAA action RPG set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe. He claims the project is reportedly backed by a fund with investors from the United Arab Emirates, with a budget of around $100 million. Initially, Chojnowski did not take these rumors seriously, but now believes there may be more truth to them than previously thought.

This information partially aligns with an earlier report from Insider Gaming, which in September 2025 mentioned a major Lord of the Rings action RPG in development, allegedly funded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office with a similar $100 million budget.

Importantly, Warhorse is part of Deep Silver, which belongs to the Embracer Group holding. Embracer owns the rights to develop games based on The Lord of the Rings universe, making Warhorse’s involvement in such a project quite plausible following the success of Kingdom Come.

If the studio has indeed shifted toward fantasy, this could explain Vávra’s departure. Throughout his career, he has primarily worked on realistic games, so he may have chosen not to participate in a project set in a genre that is new to him.