I am a big Hobbit and Lord of the Rings fan. That whole world that Tolkien created fills me with an immense amount of wonder and awe. While I don’t fancy coming face to face with an orc anytime soon, I would relish the opportunity to explore Middle-earth with my backpack full of lembas bread and a pint from the Prancing Pony in hand.
That is why when I was scrolling through X the other day, I stopped and did a brief double take. In a welcome change to some of the rubbish on social media these days, my algorithm had presented me with a beautiful, photorealistic re-imagining of Lord Of The Rings’ The Argonath scene, made in Unreal Engine 5.
For a tranquil minute and a half, I was transported from my desk to a small boat on the River Anduin, as the two monumental statues made famous in Fellowship of the Ring watched over me. After playing the video again, I quickly got in touch with the footage’s creator Micah Malinics to find out more about his project, and – importantly – if I would ever get the chance to play through this fan-made recreation myself.

PlayStation live-service Concord won’t sell you a battle pass – would it be better if it did?

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This week on the Eurogamer Newscast, we discuss the downsides and upsides of the video game battle pass.

In a week where PlayStation live-service hopeful Concord trumpeted the fact it won’t sell you a battle pass as a marketing beat, and Apex Legends dialled back (some of) its battle pass changes following fan fury, we consider the options available to video game makers hoping to ensure their latest releases keep being played – and paid for – well after release.
Would more people play Concord if it was a free-to-play title with a battle pass? Or is it better served by being a £40 launch? Not everyone can promise they’ll never sell post-launch content, as Stardew Valley’s creator did this week. But there’s clearly a balance to be struck to ensure players don’t feel fleeced, particularly when full-priced launches like Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League are getting in on the act too. Joining me this week are Eurogamer’s Ed Nightingale and Victoria Kennedy to discuss.

PlayStation live-service Concord won’t sell you a battle pass – would it be better if it did?

Read More