The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria won’t be hitting the PlayStation 5 just yet. After announcing that the Xbox Series X|S version won’t arrive until next year, publisher North Beach Games and developer Free Range Games have pushed the release date of the PS5 version back.
On PC, Return to Moria is still set for an October 24 release date. But on the PlayStation 5, it’s been pushed back to December 5. That’s the new release date for both the physical and digital edition of the game on that console. Barring any further delays, that is.
The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria sees you playing dwarves reclaiming Moria, currently occupied by Orcs. You can join forces to accomplish this goal or go in solo, slashing, crafting and building your way to a new dwarven kingdom.
Related: What We Know About Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria’s Fourth Age
So why the delay? According to the announcement it’s so the developers can “improve various aspects of the PS5 version.” In other words, Free Range Games need extra time to add “polish” or squash bugs. It does make sense. High-ranking executives aside, no-one wants crunch. And the alternative would be to knowingly release a flawed final product.
On top of that, this is North Beach Games’ first title, under that name, so it’s in their own interests to ensure that all versions of Return to Moria are up to scratch.
There has been a closed beta but North Beach and Free Range have, reportedly, had players sign NDAs, so there are no impressions floating around out there. But there are few things that we do know about Return to Moria’s Fourth Age setting.
Here’s hoping that when it launches, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria does J.R.R. Tolkien’s world justice. No-one wants another allegedly-ChatGPT Gollum apology.
