Guardians of Middle-earth is a multiplayer online battle arena video game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The setting of the game is Middle-earth, derived from The Lord of the Rings series, with various tie-ins to the film series of the same name, as well as The Hobbit film series.[1] Guardians of Middle-earth was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles on December 4, 2012, via the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade respectively. A retail package is also released, which includes a download voucher for the game as well as a "Season Pass" for future downloadable content.[2] It is no longer available on the PlayStation Network, and the game's servers are no longer operational. The game was later released for Windows on August 29, 2013.
| Guardians of Middle-earth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Monolith Productions Zombie Studios (PC) |
| Publisher(s) | Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment |
| Composer(s) | Inon Zur |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 December 4, 2012 Windows August 29, 2013 |
| Genre(s) | Multiplayer online battle arena |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Gameplay
Guardians of Middle-earth incorporates the standard elements of a typical multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game, with a strong emphasis upon team coordination. Up to ten players may split into two teams of five and from a pool of thirty-six guardians from The Lord of the Rings franchise, including Gandalf, Sauron and Radagast,[3] and coordinate to win matches by destroying the opposing team's base.[4] Unlike most other MOBA titles, Guardians of Middle-earth emphasizes home console, rather than desktop, gameplay, in order to gain a "cinematic" experience.[5]
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PS3) 75/100[6] (X360) 71/100[7] (PC) 56/100[8] |
Guardians of Middle-earth received mixed reviews.[6][7][8] It scored a 7.5/10 from IGN.[9] Many users have problems with the games interfacing on PC, as well as numerous glitches in connectivity.[citation needed]
As of April 2019, Steam has removed Guardians of Middle Earth from their store page.[citation needed]