A new report suggests Daedalic Entertainment, the German developer behind The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, spent around $15.9 million to produce the title and failed to redeem the costs post-launch, according to Game Two, an outlet that interviewed 32 existing and former employees with Daedalic.
Published on Youtube and shared by Knoebel, the interview can be auto-translated at the link below (around the 30 minute mark), indicates the budget, or lack thereof following the departure of former shareholder Bastei Lübee, were some of the leading problems behind the title’s tricky production.
Unpaid overtime, a severe crunch culture, and an overbearing boss who reportedly shouted at employees and generated an unpleasant working environment further contributed to Daedalic’s troubled task of making Gollum. In response to these allegations, Daedalic said there was a “friendly working atmosphere” at the company.
In May, Daedalic apologised to players for “the underwhelming experience” with Gollum. “We acknowledge and deeply regret that the game did not meet the expectations we set for ourselves or for our dedicated community. Please accept our sincere apologies for any disappointment this may have caused,” the statement reads.
“Our development team has been working diligently to address the bugs and technical issues many of you experienced. We are committed to providing you with patches that will allow you to enjoy the game to its fullest potential.”
Released in May, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Series consoles, PC and Nintendo Switch.
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Daedalic apologized?
Not really. T’s already been reported that apology was written by ChatGPT.