The Tales of the Shire trailer reveals a cozy Hobbit life sim game

Lord of the Rings fans won’t have to wait long for their next trip to the Shire.

Private Division and Wētā Workshop have unveiled a full trailer for Stories of the Shire on Monday, with new details of the game “cozy Hobbit life”. The trailer only offered a 2024 release window, confirming this Stories of the Shire expected this year on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Windows PC and Xbox Series

The trailer shows life in the Shire, full of Hobbit friends, farming, home decorating, exploring and much more. It looks a lot like Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Disney Dreamlight Valleybut make it Lord of the Rings.

Announced last fall Stories of the Shire is a collaboration between Private Division and Wētā Workshop’s new in-house video games division. It is one of five upcoming Lord of the Rings games that Lord of the Rings rights holder Embracer Group has announced in 2023. Embracer has been hard at work downsizing and restructuring after the failure of a $2 billion deal, but Stories of the Shire still appears to be on track for a 2024 release.

On Monday, prior to the leaked trailer, Embracer Group announced that this was the case continue the overhaul by splitting the company into three separate entities: Asmodee Group, for table top; Coffee Stain & Friends, for indie games; and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends, for the Lord of the Rings titles and other AAA experiences.