2011 Lord Of The Rings Game Didn’t Get A “Fair Shake” Launching Near Skyrim, Former WB Boss Says

In 2011, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North was released on November 1st, only to be overshadowed just ten days later by The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The misaligned release dates proved fateful—while Skyrim went on to sell over 65 million copies, War in the North failed to gain commercial traction despite carrying the prestigious Lord of the Rings license.

Now, years later, a former Warner Bros. Games executive has revealed that the poor timing wasn’t inevitable. Christian Allen, who was part of WB Games’ leadership when War in the North launched, recently disclosed that he had “argued vociferously” against releasing the game so close to Skyrim’s anticipated launch. According to Allen, he warned that War in the North “wouldn’t get a fair shake” competing against Bethesda’s blockbuster fantasy RPG, but his recommendations were overruled by upper management.

War in the North has recently received a second life through a polished Legacy Edition port that launched on Steam this week. The re-release is being well-received by players, currently holding a “Very Positive” rating on the platform. Allen expressed satisfaction about the game’s return, noting it’s “nice to see it get a proper release” after its original launch was compromised by unfortunate market timing.

The story serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of release date strategy in the game industry, highlighting how even high-quality games with beloved intellectual properties can struggle when positioned against major anticipated releases.

2011 Lord Of The Rings Game Didn’t Get A “Fair Shake” Launching Near Skyrim, Former WB Boss Says

Sources