Battle for Middle-Earth Media

The Lord of the Rings isn't just about roleplaying, it's about epic battles between huge armies. EA sends word that they are developing a RTS game based on Middle-Earth using the C&C Generals graphics engine. The game won't be out until next year, but the official site is up and they have released some new screenshots and the first trailer.

Press Release:

EA GAMES releases first The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth game trailer.

There's more going on with The Lord of the Rings than the release of the blockbuster The Return of the King action adventure. We are well into development of next year's PC RTS game The Battle for Middle-earth and are proud to announce the release of the first trailer for this game.

The Battle for Middle-earth, which is scheduled for release in 2004, utilizes the Generals game engine, and in the game players can select from the different "good" or "evil" campaigns, where they will be given the freedom to command a variety of major armies from the films, each with their own distinct strengths and weaknesses. Prepare for war by creating offensive and defensive strategies set in the memorable battle locations taken straight from the big screen. The Battle for Middle-earth RTS game will utilize the digital assets created for the films and will feature exclusive voiceover from the real actors as well as actual movie footage from the three films.

- EA Games

Battle for Middle-Earth Screenshots

Battle for Middle-Earth Trailer 1
EA FTP
3D Gamers
FileShack
Happy Puppy

Official Battle for Middle-Earth Site