Lord of the Rings: Gollum trailer shows the torment before the trilogy

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is launching later in 2023, and it will explore the mind and madness of the corrupted Hobbit Smeagol in the time between his loss of the One Ring and the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

In a trailer shown Thursday during a Nacon livestream showcase, we see Gollum working with and against two opposing forces, including a young Gandalf and an emissary of the evil lord Sauron, both in search of the Ring. It’s a heavy lift to make Smeagol/Gollum a sympathetic figure, but that’s where this narrative appears to be headed.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum was first announced in 2019, and was expected in September 2022, but Daedalic Entertainment delayed it back in July.

Though Nacon public relations has only given 2023 as a release window for the action-adventure, the company did tell investors back in January that the game would launch sometime between April and September of 2023. The Lord of the Rings: Gollum will launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.