10 Video Games That Were Cancelled (But Not Why You Think)
7. Amazon Fell Out With Tencent - The Lord Of The Rings MMORPG
Why You Thought It Was Cancelled
Amazon Studios' The Lord of the Rings-themed MMORPG was announced in 2019, and after around two years of protracted development, they confirmed it had been cancelled this past April.
The cancellation wasn't terribly surprising to many who had been following its production, with job listings late last year suggesting the project was still in its infancy, and reports stating it was also being overhauled for the sake of both next-gen consoles and Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings TV show.
It sounded like an over-ambitious project that simply bit off more than studio Athlon Games could chew, but anyone who bothered to read beyond the cancellation headline - not many of us, it seems - learned a different story.
Why It Was Actually Cancelled
The real reason for the cancellation was Amazon getting into a dispute with Chinese multinational corporation Tencent, the parent company of Athlon Games. With seemingly no way to resolve the unspecified conflict, there was no choice but to scrap the project.
Given that a Lord of the Rings MMO could've been a massive money-spinner for Amazon, this sure must've stung no matter the reason.