Summary

  • The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is on sale on the Xbox Store for $2.99 until May 27.
  • The game faced harsh criticism upon release for its gameplay, numerous bugs, and graphics.
  • Following its poor reception, developer Daedalic Entertainment closed its internal game development team.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is currently heavily discounted on the Xbox Store, giving curious players a chance to try out the infamous action-adventure title for just $2.99 through May 27. While The Lord of the Rings has spawned several well-received titles over the years, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum quickly became a lesson in what not to do when it comes to game design.

Upon its release in May 2023, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was quickly panned by critics and players alike, drawing criticism for its gameplay, graphics, controls, and numerous bugs. The title was unplayable for many on launch day due to persistent crashes, and the game has reportedly sold only 26,000 copies on Steam to date while boasting an all-time high concurrent player count of only 758. The game's failure has become legendary, prompting its developer, Daedalic Entertainment, to cancel plans for a second game set in Tolkien's world. Now, Xbox players wanting to experience the poorly-received title for themselves can do so without too much strain on their wallet.

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Two years after its ill-fated launch, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is now available for just $2.99 on the Xbox Store, down from its original price of $40. The Xbox sale will run through May 27 and includes several critically acclaimed titles as well, including BioShock: The Collection, Cult of the Lamb: Sinful Edition, NBA 2K25, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: Next-Level Edition, and WWE 2K25. While The Lord of the Rings: Gollum only boasts an average OpenCritic score of 37 and led to the shuttering of Daedalic Entertainment's internal game development team, some players may be curious enough to snag it for this extremely low price.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Sale Price on the Xbox Store

  • $2.99 (until May 27)

While many Tolkien fans were eager to give the game the benefit of the doubt, the development of Lord of the Rings: Gollum was a disaster, with staff reporting unpaid overtime and a toxic workplace. When confronted, publisher Nacon released an apology that was later found to be written entirely by ChatGPT, a move that further alienated fans. Nacon is scheduled to publish Hell is Us and Terminator: Survivors later this year.

While Daedalic's title was a major misstep, several new games inspired by Tolkien's works are on the way, with the cozy Tales of the Shire scheduled to launch on July 29 and Amazon's Lord of the Rings MMO currently in development. Additionally, Andy Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum in the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, set to be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.

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The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum Tag Page Cover Art
2 /10

The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum
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Action-Adventure
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 37 /100 Critics Rec: 4%
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Released
May 25, 2023
ESRB
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Developer(s)
Daedalic Entertainment
Publisher(s)
Daedalic Entertainment
Engine
Unreal Engine 4
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WHERE TO PLAY

PHYSICAL
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Genre(s)
Action-Adventure