EA hopes The Lord of the Rings can help accelerate its mobile business

EA is developing a new free-to-play mobile game based on The Lord of the Rings.

The project is being created in partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises -- a division of The Saul Zaentz Company -- which owns the worldwide exclusive rights to certain elements of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

The work-in-progress title is called The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth, and is being pitched as a collectible role-playing game that "brings the fantasy and adventure of The Lord of the Rings to existing fans and new audiences alike."

EA claims Heroes of Middle-earth will be a social-competitive experience, and said the project will help expand its mobile portfolio as it attempts to deliver "top live services" to reach more players on more platforms.

"We are incredibly excited to partner with The Saul Zaentz Company and Middle-earth Enterprises on the next generation of mobile role-playing games,” said EA's vice president of mobile RPG, Malachi Boyle.

"The combination of high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art immerses players in the fantasy of Middle-earth where they’ll go head-to-head with their favorite characters."