Summary

The Lord of the Rings: Gollumis currently heavily discounted on the Xbox Store, giving curious players a chance to try out the infamous action-adventure title for just $2.99 through May 27. WhileThe Lord of the Ringshas spawned several well-received titles over the years,The Lord of the Rings: Gollumquickly became a lesson in what not to do when it comes to game design.

Upon its release in May 2023,The Lord of the Rings: Gollumwas quickly pannedby critics and players alike, drawing criticism for its gameplay, graphics, controls, and numerous bugs. The title was unplayable for many on launch day due to persistent crashes, and the game has reportedly sold only 26,000 copies on Steam to date while boasting an all-time high concurrent player count of only 758. The game’s failure has become legendary, prompting its developer, Daedalic Entertainment, to cancel plans for a second game set in Tolkien’s world. Now, Xbox players wanting to experience the poorly-received title for themselves can do so without too much strain on their wallet.

The Lord Of The Rings: Gollum Tag Page Cover Art

Two years after its ill-fated launch,The Lord of the Rings: Gollumis now available for just $2.99 on theXbox Store, down from its original price of $40. TheXbox sale will run through May 27and includes several critically acclaimed titles as well, includingBioShock: The Collection,Cult of the Lamb: Sinful Edition,NBA 2K25,Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands: Next-Level Edition, andWWE 2K25. WhileThe Lord of the Rings: Gollumonly boasts an averageOpenCriticscore of 37 and led to the shuttering of Daedalic Entertainment’s internal game development team, some players may be curious enough to snag it for this extremely low price.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Sale Price on the Xbox Store

While many Tolkien fans were eager to give the game the benefit of the doubt, thedevelopment ofLord of the Rings: Gollumwas a disaster, with staff reporting unpaid overtime and a toxic workplace. When confronted, publisher Nacon released an apology that was later found to be written entirely by ChatGPT, a move that further alienated fans. Nacon is scheduled to publishHell is UsandTerminator: Survivorslater this year.

While Daedalic’s title was a major misstep, several new games inspired by Tolkien’s works are on the way, with the cozyTales of the Shirescheduled to launch on July 29 and Amazon’sLord of the RingsMMO currently in development. Additionally, Andy Serkis will reprise his role as Gollum in theupcoming filmTheLord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, set to be released in theaters on July 21, 2025.