Yes, The orcs do eat.
- J.R.R. Tolkien (The Return of the King)
The gaming industry has been plagued with projects that seem far less about player enjoyment and more about ticking the right DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) boxes to secure funding and government grants.
The latest offender from the seemingly never-ending slop-factory? "Tales of the Shire," the new Lord of the Rings game from Wētā Workshop, which looks to be a manufactured DEI barfed mess designed solely to extort money from governments and investors while contributing to the sustained downfall of gaming... all while championing "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" as the main focal point. Accept it, purchase it, consume it, and praise it... Otherwise, you're just a bigot.
At first glance, Tales of the Shire appears to be a quaint and "cozy" experience where you can live the serene life of a Hobbit in the Shire. The game invites players to engage in daily routines such as fishing, gardening, cooking, and decorating their Hobbit home—all things one might expect in a typical life simulation game similar to a classic like Stardew Valley.
However, the evil lurking underneath has reared it's ugly head - beneath this charming facade lies a far more concerning reality: this is yet another game engineered to serve the "right" political and social agendas rather than provide a meaningful and engaging gaming experience in any way.
The game's marketing heavily emphasizes community building, inclusivity, and diversity... and these concepts are used as buzzwords to appeal to investors and government agencies eager to support projects with a “positive social impact.” It's a tactic we've seen repeatedly: games prioritizing diversity checklists over quality gameplay end up being hollow experiences. With promises of daily activities, club missions, and a focus on fostering relationships within the community, Tales of the Shire is filled with the type of shallow engagement metrics that look great on paper but rarely translate into a fulfilling player experience.
Wētā Workshop's game studio was founded in 2014, yet it's taken them nearly a decade to release their first game, Tales of the Shire...? This lengthy timeline is curious, especially for a studio that was established with the backing of seasoned game developers and film veterans. I'd expect a company with supposedly such a history to have produced multiple titles by now, but instead, this long silence (and delays) raises questions about what’s been happening behind the scenes... The fact that "Tales of the Shire" is their debut release, after so many years, only adds more skepticism surrounding the game's purpose and quality. Almost like there's either a lack of clear direction or perhaps an overemphasis on securing funding and support rather than actually creating games...
But stop questioning. Just consume!
The game's description sounds like it was ripped straight out of a corporate DEI manual. “Gain rewards through your story progression,” “join club missions,” and “help gain official village status”—it all reeks of the gamification of mundane tasks under the guise of promoting a social unity. The attempt made here's to frame mundane activities as meaningful gameplay only further highlights its shallow, repetitive gameplay loop. And let's be honest, NOBODY asked for a Hobbit home decoration simulator... and if the mere idea of it sounded interesting on the surface anyway - don't worry, DEI destroyed any chance it had.
Wētā Workshop's marketing claims that their game studio is “filled to the brim with creative game developers” who are “passionate about making incredible experiences.” Yet, what they've delivered so far is a game concept that feels like a tired retread of better, more engaging life simulation games but with a Middle-earth skin slapped on top. It’s as if the studio is more interested in the accolades and funding that come from promoting diversity than they are in creating a genuinely fun game.
The developer is facing a beyond brutal backlash on Twitter over "Tales of the Shire," to the point where they've had to turn off replies to their tweets about the game. A quick glance over at the quote tweets reveals an absolute tidal wave of criticism, with hardly anyone expressing actual, genuine excitement for the game.
Instead, the responses are filled with skepticism, mocking, and frustration at yet another lackluster title that seems to prioritize superficial elements over substance. It's clear that gamers in general here aren't buying into this "heart-warming" Hobbit experience, and the social media reception has been nothing short of an epic disaster.
Adding another layer of cynicism to the mix, "Tales of the Shire" is being published by Private Division, a label under Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., one of the biggest video game holding companies in the world. Given the involvement of such a mega-corporation, it's hard not to suspect that this game serves a dual purpose: to check off DEI boxes and also to act potentially as a convoluted scheme to secure tax breaks. Big corporations like Take-Two could be using creative accounting and strategic partnerships to maximize financial benefits... and this project feels like another move in their playbook to funnel money through socially appealing projects while sidestepping the larger fiscal responsibilities.
This is yet another example of how the industry is leaning into superficial diversity initiatives to secure funding and social clout rather than focusing on producing high-quality games that gamers actually want to play. Wētā Workshop may have a prestigious history working on the iconic LOTR films back in the day, but their descent into pandering to the latest social trends signals a desperate attempt to stay relevant in an industry that is becoming increasingly cynical about these obvious tactics.
Ultimately, "Tales of the Shire" exemplifies the ongoing degradation of the gaming landscape, where creativity gets sacrificed at the altar of political correctness and virtue signals. The promise of a cozy "heart-warming" Hobbit life may sound enticing initially to some, but actual gamers can see through the surface of all this. It's no conspiracy. This game, like many others that lean heavily on DEI tactics, will be remembered as (yet) another soulless cash grab rather than a worthy addition to the beloved Lord of the Rings franchise... and that... is the saddest part of all.
~Smash