Latest news with #JRRTolkien
Geek Tyrant
29-05-2025
- Business
- Geek Tyrant
Embracer Transforms Into Fellowship Entertainment, Goes All-In on THE LORD OF THE RINGS — GeekTyrant
After years of buying up everything in sight, Embracer Group finally hit its breaking point last year. The once-expanding megacorp had grown too fast, too wide, and inevitably had to reassess its priorities before things completely fell apart. Now, in an interesting pivot, the company is rebranding itself as Fellowship Entertainment, with the future of Middle-earth at the center of its business strategy. Fellowship Entertainment is throwing its full weight behind The Lord of the Rings and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. The company says its new focus will be on "creating and stewarding the works of J.R.R. Tolkien into different commercial and transmedia endeavors." That means everything from video games and merchandise to comics, movies, and who knows what else. The rebrand comes after a year of drastic restructuring. Embracer already spun off tabletop giant Asmodee in February 2025, and now it's making more cuts. The popular Coffee Stain Group (home to Deep Rock Galactic, Goat Simulator, and Satisfactory) will be spun off as a completely separate company by the end of the year. That division will also take Ghost Ship, Tuxedo Labs, and a few Amplifier Game Invest studios with it. But Fellowship Entertainment isn't just about hobbits and orcs. The company still retains the rights to major gaming IPs including Kingdom Come: Deliverance , Metro , Dead Island , Darksiders , Tomb Raider , and more. Studios like 4A Games, Aspyr Media, Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studios, Dark Horse, Gunfire Games, Limited Run Games, Middle-earth Enterprises, THQ Nordic, Tripwire Interactive, and Warhorse Studios all fall under this new umbrella. That said, the spotlight is clearly shifting toward Tolkien's legendarium and that comes with big expectations. The legacy of J.R.R. Tolkien has always been handled with extreme care by his son, Christopher Tolkien, and the Tolkien Estate. There's hope that this new commercial direction won't lose sight of that literary foundation. Fellowship Entertainment says: "The journey doesn't end here. Renaming the brand is just another path, one that different labels may take." The next age of Middle-earth has begun, and it's corporate. Let's just hope the new stewards of the One IP to Rule Them All wield it wisely.
Express Tribune
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
New Zealand airport takes down hobbit themed eagle sculpture after 11 years aloft
Listen to article A pair of giant eagle sculptures inspired by "The Hobbit" will be removed from the ceiling of Wellington Airport on Friday, marking the end of a more than decade-long watch over visitors. The massive birds, which depict the creatures from JRR Tolkien's fantasy novels, were created by Wētā Workshop and installed in 2013 to coincide with the release of "The Hobbit" film trilogy by New Zealand director Sir Peter Jackson. Each eagle weighs 1.2 tonnes and has a wingspan of 15 metres. One features a sculpture of the wizard Gandalf riding on its back. The impressive creations are made from polystyrene with internal steel skeletons and hundreds of feathers, the longest measuring 2.4 metres. 'It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us,' said Matt Clarke, the airport's chief executive, in a statement. The sculptures are being removed to make space for a new, undisclosed installation, which the airport says will be 'locally themed' and developed in collaboration with Wētā Workshop. The eagles will be placed in storage. There are currently no long-term plans for their return. While the departure of the eagles may disappoint fans, the airport will continue to feature another familiar character from the fantasy world – Smaug the Magnificent. The dragon from "The Hobbit", remains on display near the check-in area. One of the eagles previously made headlines in 2014 when it fell during an earthquake. No injuries were reported. Details of the new exhibit are expected to be revealed later this year.
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
New Zealand airport to remove Hobbit-themed eagle sculptures
For more than a decade, a pair of Hobbit-inspired eagle sculptures have cast a watchful eye over visitors at New Zealand's Wellington the giant birds will be unfastened from the ceiling on Friday to make way for a new mystery exhibit, airport authorities eagles appear as messengers in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which were adapted to film by New Zealand's Sir Peter spectacular New Zealand landscapes featured in Mr Jacson's films are a consistent draw for tourists, who are greeted at the airport by the eagle sculptures. "It's not unusual to see airborne departures from Wellington Airport, but in this case, it will be emotional for us," Wellington Airport chief executive Matt Clarke said in a giant eagles will be placed in storage and there have not been long-term plans for eagle weighs 1.2 tonnes (1,200kg) with a wingspan of 15m (49ft). Riding on the back of one of the birds is a sculpture of the wizard, of polystyrene and with an internal steel skeleton, each eagle has hundreds of feathers, the longest one measuring 2.4m (8ft).While the iconic eagles will soon be gone, not all is lost for fans of the franchise: Smaug the Magnificent, the dragon in The Hobbit, will continue to be displayed at the check-in area. The eagles were unveiled in 2013, around the time of the release of The Hobbit trilogy. The giant sculptures were produced by Wētā Workshop, the New Zealand-based company that made costumes and props for The Lord of the Rings franchise."We're working with Wētā Workshop on some exciting plans for a unique, locally themed replacement to take their place," Mr Clarke said. "We'll unveil what's next later this year so keep watching the skies."In 2014, one of the eagles came crashing down during an earthquake. No one was injured in the from that accident.
Powys County Times
25-04-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
'Hobbit' house plan in Powys border countryside submitted
Plans have been put forward for a self-built, part-underground 'hobbit-house' on the Powys border border. Alan Heeks of Hay-on-Wye is seeking permission for the plan next to the Dulas Brook at Cusop, 'inspired by the underground Hobbit houses featured in the works of JRR Tolkien', his application (number 250895) says. 'Mr and Mrs Heeks were inspired by the place, and believe that the only appropriate solution is a part-buried dwelling which maintains the local and wider landscape character,' it adds. Lying in a former orchard next to the Grade Two listed Dulas House, only a slightly sunken entrance to 'Deephallow' would be publicly visible, while around it the previous orchard would be restored. The three-bedroom house would be 'simple in form, with expressed oak frames echoing the traditional framing of Herefordshire', and internal walls having a curved profile. It would be 'super-insulated' and would incorporate 'the latest heat pump technology', while accommodating those with impaired mobility. OTHER NEWS: Also out of view, a new parking area would accommodate at least three cars. Two previous attempts by a different applicant to gain permission for partly submerged houses at the same site were withdrawn in 2022 and 2023 following objections, though pre-application advice on the schemes had been sought as early as 2016.
Belfast Telegraph
24-04-2025
- Science
- Belfast Telegraph
JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit translated into Gaelic for first time
Moray Watson, a professor of Gaelic and translation at the University of Aberdeen, began working on a Gaelic draft of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit prior to the first Covid-19 lockdown.
