Gollum Developer Apologizes for “Underwhelming” Launch

Many have had their eye on The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, and after a number of delays, Daedalic Entertainment’s action-adventure title finally launched earlier in this week. It did not, however, go the way the developer would have hoped. The title has been widely criticized by critics and audiences alike, and is currently sitting at a shockingly low score of 36 on Metacritic (and 41 for the PC version).

In the aftermath of overwhelmingly negative reception, the developer has taken to Twitter to offer up an apology to players, stating that it “deeply regrets” the state the game has launched in.

“We would like to sincerely apologize for the underwhelming experience many of you have had with The Lord of the Rings: Gollum upon its release,” Daedalic Entertainment wrote. “We acknowledge and deeply regret that the game did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves or for our dedicated community. Please accept our sincere apologies for any disappointment this may have caused.

“Our goal as a studio, and as passionate The Lord of the Rings fans, has always been to tell a compelling and immersive story-driven adventure. Crafting a story with Middle-earth as our playground has been the greatest honour – and the biggest challenge we have faced so far.”

While many of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’s biggest issues are baked into the game’s very design and are unlikely to ever be salvaged, Daedalic Entertainment says that it is working on fixing bugs and technical issues.

“At Daedalic, we understand that a game’s success relies on the enjoyment and satisfaction of its players,” the developer’s message reads. “We genuinely value your feedback and have been actively listening to your voices, reading your comments, and analyzing the constructive criticism suggestions you have provided.

“Our development team has been working diligently to address the bugs and technical issues many of you have experienced. We are committed to providing you with patches that will allow you to enjoy the game to its fullest potential.”

In our review of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, we gave it a score of 5/10. Read the full review through here.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

A few words from the ” The Lord of the Rings: Gollum™ ” team pic.twitter.com/adPamy5EjO

— The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (@GollumGame) May 26, 2023