EA Announces The Lord of the Rings: The White Council

Electronic Arts has announced the development of The Lord of the Rings: The White Council, an open world role-playing game to be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The game will feature an original storyline derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings novels under an agreement with EA, and is scheduled to ship in late 2007. The title appears to be the game formerly known as Project Gray Company, initially revealed in April of this year, thought to be an original IP product at the time, and vaunted to have an “expansive open world setting”, featuring the same simulation AI technology used in The Sims 2. Players have the freedom to explore the open world of Tolkien's Middle-earth in the title. Players can choose their role as a man, an elf, a dwarf, or a hobbit. Each role's destiny is to become a hero allied with the White Council, whose members include the famed characters Gandalf, Saruman, Galadriel, and Elrond. "Our extremely talented and dedicated team is committed to creating an incredible new experience for fans of The Lord of the Rings and role-playing gamers," said Steve Gray, executive producer, The Lord of the Rings: The White Council. "With its next generation gameplay and epic new storyline, we think The Lord of the Rings: The White Council will be a huge success."