Wētā Workshop, known for its work on The Lord of the Rings live-action series and as an indispensable visual effects studio in the film and television industry, has developed its own Lord of the Rings game. Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game (hereinafter Tales of the Shire) launched on the 30th and promptly climbed to the top tier of Steam's global best-sellers.

Tales of the Shire is a life simulation that focuses on the humble, cozy existence of a Hobbit. Starting out in the village of Bywater, the player must strive to help the settlement earn official recognition as an independent village within the Shire. You can decorate your home with wallpaper and furniture, and indulge in activities like fishing, gardening, and foraging to cook meals or invite guests over. Exploring the village to uncover hidden secrets and interacting with locals to hone your skills are all part of the daily loop.

While the gameplay itself might feel a bit pedestrian, the real hook here is that Wētā Workshop is the developer. While the studio is a powerhouse for visual effects in blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Man of Steel, and Avatar, its track record in gaming is virtually non-existent. It is safe to say that Tales of the Shire serves as the studio's maiden voyage into the world of PC and console gaming.

However, the Steam user reception for Tales of the Shire has been merely 'Mostly Positive' (based on 711 reviews, with a 75% positive rating). Fans seem satisfied with the peaceful, low-stakes simulation of decorating, exploring, and fishing. Yet, the prevailing sentiment is that the content feels a bit thin, with complaints about the limited map size, a lack of interactable residents, and a desperate need for further optimization work.

Elsewhere, Doom: The Dark Ages climbed to 8th place following its first discount during the QuakeCon sale. Meanwhile, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II entered the rankings, bolstered by a 30% discount that has been running since the 26th.

In the daily peak Concurrent Players top 20, Delta Force has maintained its momentum, holding steady at 4th place with around 190,000 Concurrent Players for nearly three weeks since the start of Season 5. Destiny 2, having launched its new expansion two weeks ago, saw its numbers dip to the 50,000 range, sliding out of the top 20, while RimWorld secured the 20th spot with 64,132 Concurrent Players.