Survival Crafting Title from North Beach Games and Free Range Games Arrives on New Platforms with the Golden Update Featuring Crossplay, Sandbox Mode, and More

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — August 27, 2024 — A new path is revealed… Independent developer Free Range Games and publisher North Beach Games are excited to announce that The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, the only survival crafting video game set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth™, the iconic fantasy world created by J.R.R. Tolkien, is available now digitally for Windows PC via Steam and Xbox Series X|S console systems at a discounted price of $19.99 for a limited time. As part of the launch, fans new and old can now enjoy the addition of Crossplay between all platforms, Sandbox mode, and a rich deposit of new features, updates, improvements, and more as part of The Golden Update, available today for all platforms. Steam players can also purchase the platform-exclusive Launch Bundle, which includes the game, the official soundtrack with 34 tracks of original music, as well as a stunning art exhibition, all for a limited-time discounted price.

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The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria™ key art (Graphic: Business Wire)

“We are ecstatic to bring The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria to Steam and Xbox, providing the opportunity for a whole new audience to delve into the Mines of Moria," said John Miller, CEO, North Beach Games. "With the addition of all of the new features and content in The Golden Update, Return to Moria delivers the deepest look yet at a survival-crafting experience based on The Lord of the Rings, and we cannot wait to hear what players think.”

Watch the Launch trailer

"Middle-earth Enterprises is thrilled that The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria releases on Steam and Xbox today," noted Fredrica Drotos, Steward, Brand & Licensing at MEE. "We’re so pleased and proud that North Beach Games and Free Range Games are expanding the Middle-earth universe in the gaming space.”

Watch the Golden Update video

“The development team has put in so much work since we first launched in October 2023 and we’re really proud of how far the game has come,” said Jon-Paul Dumont, Game Director, Free Range Games. “From Crossplay to Sandbox mode, to all the new content and improvements based on player feedback, we’re more excited than ever for fans to play Return to Moria.”

New content and improvements in The Golden Update include:

Sandbox Mode: Previously only available in beta via the EGS version of Return to Moria, the full launch of Sandbox Mode allows players across all platforms to experience independent exploration and experimentation throughout the mountain. This nonlinear mode unleashes the full potential of the procedural generation system, and the game world is generated with a wide variety of random seeds, meaning each playthrough can vary significantly in layout and difficulty. Because of its inherent unpredictability and minimal tutorials, this mode is recommended for players who are familiar with Return to Moria or other survival games.

Crossplay Across All Platforms: Exploring the Mines of Moria with friends just got easier! Any player on PC via Steam or EGS, Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 can now host games to be joined by any other player. Just like non-crossplay games, Steam and Epic players can host 8-player sessions, regardless of the platform the joining players are on.

New Weapons and Armor: Sandbox Mode brings with it recipes for 14 new weapons and armor including a Wolf Skin Hat, Gondorian Shield, Khazad Halberd, and Barôkamlut. Though only discoverable in Sandbox Mode, players can bring new objects into Campaign Mode as long as their Dwarf is equipped with them when transferring over.

New Building Parts and Decorations: Players can spruce up their bases with over 100 new building objects, including new cosmetic decorations such as light fixtures, rugs, banners, home furnishings, tables, tavern signs, and chairs.

Building Improvements: Restoring Moria is now easier than ever with the changes made to the stability system as well as improved object snapping. The pre-placed buildings throughout Moria are now stronger than ever, expanding players’ ability to build expansive bases wherever they choose.

Single Player Pause: To improve the solo player experience, offline players can now pause the game by hitting “escape” on PC or by opening the settings menu.

Ambient Music: Due to popular demand, there is now an ambient music soundtrack to accompany the Dwarves’ ventures through Moria.

Difficulty Settings: Players can now fine-tune the difficulty level for various aspects of the game including enemy aggression, combat, horde, siege and patrol frequency, world and mining drops, and survival.

Bug Fixes and Improvements: For more details on the various updates, fixes, multiplayer connectivity improvements, and more introduced to the game, players can visit the official website.

The story of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria takes players beyond the books and into the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, the fantastical world created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Summoned to the Misty Mountains by Lord Gimli Lockbearer (voiced in-game by actor John Rhys-Davies), players band together as a company of Dwarves tasked to reclaim the lost spoils from the Dwarven homeland of Moria — known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf — in the depths below their very feet. Their quest will require fortitude and teamwork, delving deep into the mines of Moria to recover its treasures in the hopes of one day restoring them to their former glory.

Developed by Free Range Games and Published by North Beach Games, The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is available now on Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation®5 computer entertainment system, and Xbox Series X|S for an MSRP of $24.99 USD, and has been rated “T for Teen” by the ESRB and has a PEGI 12 rating. For more information about The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, players can visit ReturnToMoria.com or join the community Discord, and follow the game on X, TikTok, and YouTube.

The launch of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria onto Steam and Xbox follows the recent announcement of North Beach Games Prague, a new development studio from North Beach Games. With the formation of the new studio, the company will leverage decades of collective experience handling some of gaming’s biggest licensed IP and its proven track record of success releasing genre-defining survival crafting games to evolve into a multi-faceted business that not only publishes games on PC and consoles, but also develops them internally through its global footprint.

For additional details about developer Free Range Games visit their official website and follow them on X, TikTok, and YouTube.

For more information about North Beach Games, visit their official website and follow them on X, and LinkedIn.

About Free Range Games:

Free Range Games, headquartered in Sausalito, California, is a video game developer founded in 2009 by veteran developers and longtime collaborators. Free Range Games’ mission is to make games people find meaningful, memorable, and fun. To learn more about Free Range Games visit the website at: https://www.freerangegames.com.

About North Beach Games:

North Beach Games is a global independent game company that publishes PC and console games with a focus on the survival crafting and role-playing categories. Its mission is to partner with and empower the world's best independent developers and studios. Headquartered in San Rafael, CA, North Beach Games is comprised of industry veterans with a wide range of experience in publishing, marketing and game development. The company opened a new internal development studio in 2024 in Prague, to expand its global footprint as a premier expert of survival crafting and RPG experiences. Most recently, North Beach Games has published The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria™ with developer Free Range Games and licensing partner, Middle-earth Enterprises for PC via the Epic Games Store and the PlayStation®5 computer entertainment system in 2023, with versions for PC via Steam and Xbox Series X|S console systems scheduled to release in August 2024. Inquiries regarding publishing and development opportunities can be directed to Contact@northbeachgames.com.

About Middle-earth Enterprises:

Middle-earth created by J.R.R. Tolkien is the definitive, deepest, richest and most beloved fantasy world of our time. As its stewards and custodians, our goal is to consistently deliver a wealth of great content in both new, and known formats; to ensure Middle-earth’s rightful place as the world’s leading fantasy IP and brand, forever. Inspired by our deep appreciation for the fictional world created by Professor Tolkien, we are dedicated to working with those providing highest quality products in accordance with best green business and sustainability practices, including fair trade, equality in the workplace, and a commitment to protect our earth, its wondrous beauty and the viability of every living creature. Middle-earth Enterprises was acquired by the Embracer Group in 2022, and has been producing and licensing films, merchandise, electronic games, services, and live stage productions based upon The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books, for more than half a century. www.middleearth.com.

© 2024 Free Range Games. All rights reserved. Free Range Games and the Free Range Games logo are trademarks or service marks of Free Range Games.

© 2024 North Beach Games and associated logos and names are trademarks of North Beach Games, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2024 Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Epic, Epic Games, Epic Games Store and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. In the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere.

© 2024 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. "PlayStation Family Mark", "PlayStation", "PS5 logo", "PS5", "PlayStation Shapes Logo" and "Play Has No Limits" are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

© 2024 Middle-earth Enterprises, LLC. All rights reserved. "Moria", "Middle-earth" and "The Lord of the Rings" and the names of the characters, events, items, and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Middle-earth Enterprises, LLC under license to Open Door Entertainment, LLC dba North Beach Games.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240827187960/en/

Media Contact:
Kjell Vistad | Grady Penna
ONE PR Studio [for North Beach Games]
ReturnToMoria@ONEPRStudio.com