Officially announced back in September 2023,Tales of the Shiredebuted its first trailer at a tough time for theLord of the Ringsfranchise, with the infamousGollumhaving launched only a few months prior. ButTales of the Shirehad a much stronger premise thanGollum. The concept of a cozy Hobbit life-simulator in a similar vein togames likeAnimal CrossingandStardew Valleywas an enticing one, and one that took the franchise in a welcome new direction.
Early impressions ofTales of the Shireadmittedly weren’t too positive. Following some rough-looking trailers, previews for early builds ofTales of the Shirestarted to hit the internet, and it met with notable criticism. Just a few weeks ago, it was announced thatTales of the Shirewould no longer be launching this year, but rather in March 2025. While some fans might be disappointed by this news, it’s undoubtedly a good thing, giving its developers more time to polish the game, and lining it up for a potentially perfect launch date.
Tales of the Shire Has The Perfect Release Date
Tales of the Shire Is Releasing After a Surge of Anticipated Games
Though 2024 still has a few big releases lined up, it’s nothing compared to the onslaught that will be coming in February 2025.Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is set to kick the month off with a bang on February 11, the same day asCivilization 7.Assassin’s Creed Shadowsis now set to launch just a few days later, on February 14.Don’t Nod’sLost Records: Bloom and Rageis releasing on February 18, right alongside Obsidian’sAvowed. And finally,Monster Hunter WildsandLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaiiare both ending the month in style on February 28.
February might be one of 2025’s biggest months in terms of video game releases, and there’s already virtually no room to breathe. Thankfully,Tales of the Shireis avoiding this February crunch completely, instead releasing on June 25, 2025. After such a busy month filled withhuge AAA RPGsand grand strategy games,Tales of the Shirecan act as a refreshing breeze of much lighter air, hopefully delivering a cozy, nostalgic, and uncomplicated experience.
Tales of the Shire Might Be Able to Sneak In Before The Next Wave
But February isn’t going to be the only busy period for games in 2025. If every game that’s currently confirmed for 2025 makes its release window, it could easily end up being the greatest year in video game history. Long-awaited sequels likeBorderlands 4,Metroid Prime 4,Death Stranding 2,Fable, and therecently announcedGhost of Yoteiare all currently set for release next year.
Experimentalfranchise spinoffs like2XKO,Doom: The Dark Ages, andPokemon Legends: Z-Aare also on their way. And of course,Grand Theft Auto 6is finally set to hit consoles next year, which could end up being the biggest event in gaming history in its own right.
2025 is quickly shaping up to be a very dense year for video game releases, andTales of the Shirehas seemingly found itself a sweet spot.Tales of the Shireis managing to avoid the initial February surge, while also likely avoiding the heavy hitters that are probably coming soon after its launch in March.
