Heroes of Middle-Earth - Release date speculation, gameplay, features, and everything we know so far

A new game based on the iconic Lord of the Rings series is on the way - and mobile gamers ought to get excited. Following on from the popular mobile RTS, Lord of the Rings: Rise to War, this Heroes of Middle-Earth hub will explore absolutely everything you need to know about the next mobile game based on J. R. R. Tolkein's work.

In this Heroes of Middle-Earth guide, we'll keep you updated on all of the latest news of the game's development. That's on top of a look at when it's due to come out with some release date speculation, and an explanation of how the card-based gameplay works.

Heroes of Middle-Earth latest news

At the GameSpot Swipe event over the weekend, we got our first look at Heroes of Middle-Earth in action. The game's Art Director, Chris Salazar explains a little bit about the story, with a new Ring of Power emerging that lets you create teams with characters across the entire franchise's history.

You get bonuses for having synergy in your teams, but the focus is on turn-based battles and RPG elements as you upgrade your squad and use buffs and nerfs to alter the battlefield.

Still no news on a release date, but the game is certainly shaping up nicely. Check out the gameplay preview below:

In a press release shared today, EA announced Heroes of Middle-Earth in partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises. It'll be a free-to-play mobile game in a similar style to Raid Shadow Legends, with a focus on collecting new cards to add to your roster for battles.

It has been dubbed a "strategic, socio-competitive experience," and is officially down as a Collectible RPG. As such, you can expect to see all your favourites from the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit in card form, available to collect and combine into a lethal attacking force.

Heroes of Middle-Earth release date speculation

Given we've only just learnt about the game's existence, the Heroes of Middle-Earth release date is still a long way off. The initial press release from EA says that there will be "limited regional beta testing this summer," though that's no indication of a public launch.

If we had to guess, you won't be able to get your hands on the game until some point in early 2023. The post-beta period will likely be used to brush up on any issues that emerged in testing, and to prep the servers for legions of Tolkein fans descending upon them.

Heroes of Middle-Earth gameplay

Based on the brief information we currently have, Heroes of Middle-Earth is a card-based mobile game. You'll open gacha drops in the form of card packs to recruit new characters to your team, using them in turn-based combat to level up and upgrade their skills. There appears to be cursory signs of a story mode too, comprising of vignettes from the Middle-Earth universe. As such, expect to take the reigns in classics such as the Battle of Helm's Deep.

However, it's also confirmed that the game won't use the likenesses of characters from the beloved Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies. Instead, it's entirely based on the work of Tolkein, rather than the cinematic interpretations that came after. If you wanted to play through as Elijah Wood's Frodo, you sadly won't be able to.

That's it for our early look at the upcoming Heroes of Middle-Earth game! While we wait for the game to release, why not redeem some Cookie Run: Kingdom codes to grab some gacha freebies?