After a series of delays, Tales of the Shire will finally launch on July 29, bringing a new Lord of the Rings experience to multiple platforms. However, if you were hoping to team up with friends, you’ll probably love this: the game will not support co-op or multiplayer at launch.
The official Steam page and Xbox store listing both clearly state that single-player is the focus, with no mention of co-op or multiplayer anywhere. Therefore, no local or online multiplayer modes will be available when the game goes live.
Honestly, I’m surprised, but Weta Workshop has decided to omit these features entirely. Unlike games such as Animal Crossing where you can invite friends over to your village, Tales of the Shire will keep you adventurin’ solo.
There’s always a chance that multiplayer could be added sometime after launch, but if it does, it might be a while before any updates are made available. For now, it’s a purely single-player journey through Middle-earth.
