Visiting the Tales of the Shire Studio | Nerd in New Zealand

During my time in Wellington, I was able to swing by Wētā Workshop's studio for their upcoming Tales of the Shire video game! Here, I chat with Steve Lambert (Art Director), Mark Barrett (Lead Game Programmer), Calliope Ryder (Lead Game Producer), and Darren Ormandy (Creative Writer) about bringing a cozy Hobbit feel to gaming, their roads to Middle-earth, and the practical Workshop effects behind that first teaser!
Tales of the Shire releases later this year (2024).
#talesoftheshire #wetaworkshop #gaming

[@TalesoftheShire]

Thank you for visiting our little corner of Middle-earth! We can't wait for you to see the Tales of the Shire trailer tomorrow... 🌼

[@thebrowneyesofmandalore]

Tales of the Jedi? Cool cool. Tales of the Empire? Interesting, nice. Tales of the Shire?! Now we’re talking! 🤩

[@Thechivknight]

I'd love to see a long form interview with Darren Ormandy!

[@tysoncrash0]

I’m very excited to see how this game looks and plays. So cool that you get to see the studio!

[@WhoIsCalli]

So touching to hear these interviews. A great vid and even more hyped for this game now! We all need a cosy place within our cosy fandom 🧝‍♂️

[@emyelton2498]

If this comes out on the switch, definitely buying!

[@Jonthecrabjuiceguy]

Switch is in need of a fresh game, underrated console and perfect home for middle earth content.

[@emyelton2498]

@@Jonthecrabjuiceguy I agree!

[@adamswierszcz5586]

The world definitely needs a slow pace. Great choice for the shire themed game. Thanks for the video Matt!

[@KarenYurek]

I got to visit New Zealand in August and it was the most amazing experience - Wētā Workshop was a real highlight. Super excited for this game!!!

[@breecrossroads]

I am so STOKED for this!!!! Still trying to make the #shirecozy hashtag a thing, but in all seriousness, I'm excited to see the beautiful marriage of The Shire with cozy gaming. The teasers have been so enthralling and comforting to watch, and the ambience of the game looks like it's going to be perfection! The fun, quirky and whimsical details are all great, too!

[@kayfaae]

Soooo excited for this game!! ❤ I’ve always wanted a farming/cozy hobbit game, my dream came true!

[@wizardfurby212]

I want this video NOW!!! Can’t wait to hear more about this game!

[@WhoIsCalli]

Haha me too. I checked in to see when it was going live. Not soon enough 😭😆

[@ChiaraSiasat]

I can’t wait for this game! I love a nice cozy Hobbity game 😍 Great interview Matt!

[@bingbong6312]

WETA Game Studio or WETA DEI studio?

[@colinleat8309]

I'm not really a gamer ( video games) , but I'm actually really excited about this one. I just LOVE the Shire so much! I'd watch a 3 hour movie just about the Shire. Directed by Peter Jackson of course 🤣. It's great they make everything In-house 👍. Thanks Matt! 🤘😎🖖🇨🇦🕊️

[@ElladanKenet]

I've been waiting to hear more about this!

[@VoiceoftheRings]

So cool!! Excited! Thanks for the amazing video! Lover thr little dog sitting there between you guys haha

[@ThanksPraises]

It’s inspired by the tone of Tolkien’s Hobbit? Couldn’t possibly be more excited.

[@kristenrosales2919]

Great Gandalf's beard! This is wonderful!

[@RjakVegas]

Darren Ormandy is ONE OF US!!!!!

[@alexanderkussatz143]

Look forward to! And next one being tales of Valinor, please!

[@Mothman1992]

I love cozy games and absolutely adore Lord of the rings I've grown up reading it and became a baker inspired by the food descriptions. This should be an easy sell for me. But for some reason, I'm still paranoid

[@willdpj15]

I want to be able to hang out at the green dragon 💚

[@Tadzioreik]

I can tell that was another amazing experience at the studio! It’s so cool to see how the channel has grown and how far you’re getting man! Congrats and thanks for giving us the best content! 🔥🤙🏻🫶

[@finnie4394]

Praying the specs don't obliterate my laptop lol

[@flumpyofdoom]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@TheFalseDragon]

6:14 - philip seymor hoffman re-incarnated?

[@LifeFX856]

Would this be a good 1st LOTR game? Or would you suggest starting somewhere else?

[@SuperJoss97]

In my opinion it depends on what you are looking for. There not a lot of LOTR games that you can find on current consoles or PC. If you want an action based game which doesn't pay too much attention to the lore, you can try Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War. They are fun and good games even though they are a bit "extreme" in some sections. Then, if you love the film adaptations, there are the lego games but unfortunately the hobbit one is incomplete (sadly it came out before the third film and the story was never finished). Then, if you would like to have a fun experience with friends there's Return to Moria. It is not a perfect game but it definitely feels like you are in Middle Earth, even though you see it from the perspective of the mines. It is also the only game which takes place after the destruction of the ring. Finally.. there's the Gollum game. It is flawed, unfinished, unpolished, not very good looking. Ultimately, play it if you really, really, really love the character, otherwise skip it. It is a shame it came out like this, it was a missed oppurtunity. Please everyone, feel free to add other games and opinions to the one I mentioned. There other fun LOTR games but I think they would be harder to find given the fact that they are a bit old. Also, I didn't mention Lord of the Rings Online because I don't know it very well.

[@morcjul]

Battle for Middle-earth Trilogy is an elite-tier strategy game

[@LifeFX856]

ok, sounds cool. I'll look into it when I can

[@morcjul]

@@IcyWun ah sorry! Official branding was Battle for Middle earth Anthology

[@breecrossroads]

What do you prefer when gaming? I would ask that first, because what might be a good first for you, might be different from something for someone else (my first was Lord of the Rings Online, but if you like strategy or ttrpgs, then I have something different for ya!).

[@jeremypowell9260]

Great interviews, and the theme and aesthetic look great … but what is the player even doing? I’m left with no clue-is this a scripted narrative point-and-click adventure game, clicker game, SimCity: Hobbiton, Farm Simulator: Southfarthing … what is it? I get that they aren’t ready to show off footage of actual play or anything but it seems weird that they are keeping even the basic gameplay so totally secret

[@NerdoftheRings]

Their first trailer drops tomorrow, which will give some clues, I would expect. This interview was filmed back in January.

[@WildeMermaid]

And on Hobbit day (sept.22nd) they are doing a preview live showcase thing on their channels for this game.

[@bradylewis9698]

Tom Bombadil mentioned!!

[@jedideamon]

Where did you get that rad Gandalf shirt?!

[@GamingTremor]

Will there be any microtransactions or will it be something we can just pay for up front and enjoy from that point on?

[@NerdoftheRings]

That’s a great question. Let’s hope there aren’t micro transactions!

[@NoriOfDurin]

Does anyone know if this will be PC or console?

[@TheCrazyCanuck420]

Fingers crossed this will be on steam

[@laerwen]

Both. It's on their website (I can't link because KZbin gets really cranky about links in comments here.)

[@sebavega3689]

I really need to know if it's going to be a senital camera or a third person camera.

[@justins21482]

calliope ryder, wow! just fell in love with you hahahaha absolutely stunning hair color!

[@morrgash]

I really hope that it is better than Return To Moria and that they will shed some light on the lore behind the Shire, looking forward to it :D

[@JohnSmith13146]

I love Return to Moria. It’s a great survival crafting game. That said, I’d love a game where I got to exist as a Hobbit without the intense resource and inventory management and constant struggle in the dark.

[@previllion5355]

How many times did you almost accidentally say Tales of the Jedi? 😂

[@fairamir1]

So why could he not show us what was behind the camera ?

[@RobynHood1021]

I want to be excited for this game but its june of 2024 and still no release date

[@Raiders-wm5kb]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@STMukr]

❤❤❤

[@AshleyBrown-e9i]

I'm very excited

[@lonerangerz]

im excited but whats the take-away of this interview? nothing new or abt the game was shared? everyone just skirting outside the topic

[@solin09sp]

감사합니다. 사랑합니다.

[@DannyRoberts]

Where did you get the t-shirt?!?!!

[@cbrown6660]

I am so so sooo excited for this! By the way, "how awesome is your life?!?!"

[@gandalf4751]

😊😊😊

[@wayfarervisual]

Go Kiwi’s!

[@1970HondaCL100]

Hello

[@moonmaiden8802]

Did Calliope just hint at Tom Bombadil being in the game? 👀

[@butterman0007]

No matter how well executed it is, it will be compared to Stardew Valley.

[@Savagely-Average]

This is NOT meant as in insult, but Mark Barrett looks like "Balakey" from the Key and Peele Substitute Teacher skit, all grown up.

[@GloriousZote]

Well this is bad.

[@alberto5147]

If you’re going to interview someone, please remove your cap. You’re not in the living room of your apartment .

[@TheCrazyCanuck420]

This isn't 1950

[@laerwen]

LOL sorry dad. Are you like this with other adults? Cringe.

[@dixiewinxeqandmore356]

Yikes.. this comment aged like milk.

[@emilywagner6354]

I'm not into collectibles, but I would get a copy of that book! It's so beautiful!

[@rand0m508]

I'd love for them to do an edition of the books with a similar design. It's so beautiful!

[@Apricoth311]

I am super stoked for this! I am in love with the cozy games ever since I realized some games just stressed me out too much - on top of the stress I already had. Tales of the Shire has my heart. Woot! Thank you for the studio tour!

[@JeromeDoyle]

was hoping to actually see something along the lines of a behind the scenes, but seeing how passionate they are about the project and subject matter is promising at least.

[@AgentBlakk]

Who’s gonna buy this game?? 👉🏻 🙋🏻🙋🏻 THIS GUY!!!

[@huntershields3948]

This video has got me extremely excited now. What a lovely group of people.

[@irotr53]

This game looks amazing. I'm looking forward to a lotr game that's not all about slaying orcs and having adventures

[@Wally_stad]

I’m sorry what games are you talking about? Lol

[@irotr53]

​@@Wally_stadtales of the shire

[@Wally_stad]

@@irotr53i meant the ones that do involve slaying orcs. I think that’s what people actually want. We Haven’t had one of those in a very long time. We have had Gollum, and mines and now Stardew valley in middle earth. It’s ridiculous.

[@irotr53]

​@@Wally_stadto be honest, the Lego lotr and hobbit games are really good if you want to experience that sorta thing

[@NerdyRambling]

This increased my excitement tremendously! This team seems great🙌🏻

[@morcjul]

My most anticipated game and I'm an avid gamer.

[@ROBERT-ml7ml]

What's your build specs?

[@morcjul]

​@@ROBERT-ml7ml RTX 2070, 32GB RAM, 1TB NMVe, 144Hz, ok fair, my i7-4790K is old now but Tales of the Shire will run just fine because the latest Assassin's Creed Games do too.

[@-ratto-]

キャラクターが全然可愛くないし スマホゲームみたいなグラフィック😂 しかも黒人を無理やりねじ込んで😅 次のコンコードかなこれはw

[@bdonaghu]

I've wanted a game where all you do is play around the Shire ever since the Fellowship of the Ring game for the PS2 came out so many years ago. The best part of that game was exploring the Shire, and I've always wanted a game based on that concept. Just wish it was also for the PS4 because a PS5 is way too expensive still...

[@Hero_Of_Old]

I always thought an Aninal Crossing/Stardew Valley esque Shire game was a no brainer. Glad someone is making it!

[@CaptainPlainJaneway]

PleaseDontBeAnotherGollumPleaseDontBeAnotherGollumPleaseDontBeAnotherGollum

[@patrickbateman59]

You forgot to credit Nicky in the video description. Btw, good video, hope the game is great !

[@LikeWhyTF]

Soooo Animal Crossing in the Shire.?!?

[@WildeMermaid]

Im so excited for this.. Also loved seeing the life-size Jane doll (1 of 5) from Jane and the Dragon! 😍😍

[@Brickxbronson]

I know Calliope was just talking about the things that resonate with her, but it’s interesting that Tom Bombadil was right on the top of her head 🤔

[@vegassims7]

His cap actually says "Make the Shire Great Again" but in Elvish.

[@kathycleary9972]

I'm looking forward to playing this game on the Switch.

[@frankc9086]

I hope there’s a collectors edition with the book in it

[@helen4787]

What a great interview looking forward to playing the game soon

[@hasenfangmusic]

I hope we get to smoke pipeweed and brew barleywine in the game :)

[@winnietiburs394]

Sera-t-il traduit en français etqyand sortira-t-il sur PS5

[@AshleyBrown-e9i]

I love Weta game studio they make good games

[@purefoldnz3070]

As an artist myself I hope they are hiring.

[@hobbitonpiper]

“What would you do if you found yourself in that corner of the Shire?…” So interesting, I’m very intrigued!!

[@LegoDarthJar]

Finally!! 😃

[@Alucard-lz2hb]

Tell us which platforms this will be on.

[@LikeWhyTF]

Seems like the perfect game on the go… please be on Switch!

[@Jayjay-qe6um]

Can't wait for the trailer.

[@fandyllic1975]

Looking forward to this game. Thanks for the peek into the development. Hopefully, female gamers will come out in force to support this game. Also preferably, the FPS bros stay away.

[@MediumRareSteve]

This is so exciting! I haven't touched a video game in 4 years but I may just have to find somewhere to play this even if just for a bit.

[@Laat.Dovahkiin]

So funny hearing a New Zealand accent next ti an American - we aound so strange 🤣

[@maoatreyu]

I really really wanna play this game for hours and just relax.

[@JohnnySilverMagician]

windwaker vibes here

[@coffeemonster07]

This video told us absolutely nothing.

[@ROBERT-ml7ml]

1st! 🎉

[@AverageCanadianStinky]

hopefully the game isn't infected with DEI

[@Wally_stad]

I wish we could get a good middle earth game. Gollum, the dwarf one and this all fall into the indie low value category and are failures. Not talked about after a week. Is there no big studio that wants to do something with LOTR besides Stardew valley in the shire? The mishandling of this IP the last decade is appalling.

[@TheCrazyCanuck420]

How do you know this will be a failure? It isn't done yet.

[@Wally_stad]

@@TheCrazyCanuck420 because the market has shown no interest in these types of middle earth games. An action RPG would be a hit if done right. Not sure why that doesn’t already exist.

[@NerdoftheRings]

Sorry, but this sounds like you are assuming “the market” is just you. Return to Moria has had a decent playership. Gollum was clearly a disaster, but that doesn’t mean anything less than a AAA Action RPG is worthless. That’s just your own bias talking.

[@Wally_stad]

@@NerdoftheRings the active player count is terrible. That may be your own bias speaking. I’m sure being involved with these companies and getting to meet creators sweetens your feelings on these projects. The fact stands that these games are underwhelming for such a popular IP. It doesn’t have to be an ARPG, and I’m not saying games that arent AAA are worthless, but the games we’ve gotten in the last few years aren’t even good for indie games.

[@Hero_Of_Old]

Normally I'd agree, but I think this would is an exception. A Shire themed Animal Crossing esque game is begging to be made.