Daedalic Entertainment, the developers behind The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, has tendered an apology through a message posted on Twitter and Steam which said they “deeply regret that the game did not meet the expectations” they set for themselves. After the game was released on 25 May 2023, the media was set ablaze with a deluge of negative reviews.
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was supposed to be a triple-A title and was delayed several times. Therefore, the expectations were really high. Sadly, Daedalic Entertainment didn’t even scratch the surface in terms of gameplay mechanics and models. Its Metacritic score has remained in the red zone since its release.
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Reviews from multiple sources show that the problem with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is multifaceted. The backlash wouldn’t have been so bad if it was a thing or two that were wrong with the game. While the intent was good—and a few critics actually praised the storytelling—there was not much about every other aspect of the game to be desired.
The apology letter shared by Daedalic Entertainment subtly hinted at this point too. It can be inferred from the letter that the developers put so much effort into the story—and arguably not as much in the actual game development.
“Our goal as a studio, and as passionate The Lord of the Rings fans, has always been to tell a compelling and immersive story-driven adventure. Crafting a story with Middle-earth as our playground has been the greatest honor—and the biggest challenge we have faced so far.”
Daedalic Entertainment
Daedalic Entertainment might have been selfish in their ambition
Game developers should always put the general interest of their players and fans above personal interest. Many fans of The Lord of the Rings can justifiably call Daedalic Entertainment ‘selfish’ because they might have done the opposite when it comes to prioritizing interest.
In the second paragraph of the apology letter, it was clear that Daedalic Entertainment was simply eager to stamp its name on the sands of history as the studio that created a story for Gollum. Driven by this now-empty achievement, the studio put out half-baked The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, apparently ruining the experience for millions of fans of The Lord of the Rings franchise.
“At Daedalic, we understand that a game’s success relies on the enjoyment and satisfaction of its players. We genuinely value your feedback and have been actively listening to your voices, reading your comments, and analyzing the constructive criticism and suggestions you have provided.”
Daedalic Entertainment
Interestingly, the third paragraph does well in covering the damage done by the second paragraph. However, at this point, many fans of The Lords of the Rings who have spent a fortune to purchase the Gollum story may be wondering if they should take it. It is up to you to decide.
Can The Lord of the Rings: Gollum be salvaged?
GameSpot mentioned that The Lord of the Rings: Gollum crashed more than 120 times during an 11-hour playtime. IGN said the game was simply not fun to play. It is still OK to ignore the critics and purchase the game to make your own judgment. If you ever choose to do so, here is the link to purchase the game.
Developers often release patches even years after their game has gone live. The updates are often intended to fix bugs or expand the story of the game (in the case of DLCs). Trying to fix the lackluster delivery of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum may be a mammoth task for Daedalic Entertainment—not as if they cannot try.
“Our development team has been working diligently to address the bugs and the technical issues many of you experienced. We are committed to providing you with patches that will allow you to enjoy the game to its fullest potential.”
Daedalic Entertainment
Daedalic did not provide any timeline on when the patch would be ready for shipping—which is kind of frustrating considering the fact that fans had to endure multiple delays to get here. Would gamers wait another year or two to get the patch? Only time will tell.
Daedalic blew a huge chance with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
Before the announcement of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, not many people have heard about Daedalic Entertainment. However, riding on the influence of The Lord of the Rings franchise, the followership of the studio swelled. If The Lord of the Rings: Gollum had turned out great, it would have shot Daedalic into instant global fame. Sadly, they squandered that opportunity.
The danger in what Daedalic Entertainment has done with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is that many gamers may avoid future titles from the developer. It would probably take them a long time to recover from the setback.
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Interestingly, gamers are quick to forgive. If Daedalic can craft a masterpiece, gamers will put aside the disappointment of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. Moreover, Daedalic is not the first studio to issue a public apology.
EA Issued a similar apology following the buggy experience that gamers experienced in the PC version of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Naughty Dog did a similar thing after players complained about the poor performance of The Last of Us Part 1 on PC.
Certainly, Daedalic’s next project after The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will be a make or mar decision—and they must get it right.
Are you satisfied with the apology tendered by Daedalic Entertainment following the backlash on the poor performance of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum? Do you think the game can be salvaged? Share your thoughts with us in the comment box below.
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