Lord of the Rings: Gollum “takes place parallel to the early chapters” of the books, says developer

Lord of the Rings fans have been anticipating the Gollum game like Gollum himself craves the One Ring. We know a good bit about the game already, but a new FAQ from developer Daedalic Entertainment fills in some more gaps.

Found on the game’s Steam page, the series of questions covers the adventure’s place in the timeline, relationship to other Lord of the Rings titles, and more. First, the setting. Lord of the Rings: Gollum “is focused on situations and characters considered ‘canon,'” says Daedalic. That means the levels you play through will be based on events penned by J.R.R. Tolkien himself. Along the same lines, “the story of the game largely takes place in parallel to the early chapters of The Lord of the Rings, from Gollum’s time in Mordor, his capture by Sauron, and his interrogation by Gandalf.”

This is an important distinction, as many believed the game to be a prequel of sorts. While it does take place before the events of the movies, there is still a good portion of the book set before Frodo and his fellow hobbits set out. “During this time, although very little is known about Gollum’s adventures, there was enough to give us an excellent outline and time frame for the setting,” Daedalic explains.

Further in the FAQ, the developer explains that the Gollum game is “not related to other adaptations of The Lord of the Rings.” That’s why the little guy looks completely different from his appearance in Peter Jackson’s movies. He’s voiced by Wayne Forester, who can also be heard as the Godskin Noble in Elden Ring.

One thing that Daedalic doesn’t specify in its answers is Gollum’s release date. “Our current target to release the game is fall 2022,” the studio says. The game was already delayed before, so a second pushback is possible. Whenever it does release, it’ll be available on all modern platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. PC requirements will be announced at a later date.