The world of Middle-earth is big, and its timeline is extensive, with its Ages spanning thousands of years each. But at certain points in the timeline,Middle-earthcan feel like a much smaller place, with a range of fan-favorite characters all being located within close proximity to one another.Tales of the Shiremight be set during one such period.
Set in the Third Age, likely sometime between the events ofThe HobbitandThe Fellowship of the Ring,Tales of the Shireis in a prime position to include a ton of cameos from popularLord of the Ringscharacters. Gandalf is already confirmed to be in the cozy Hobbit life-sim, and there are plenty of other belovedLotRcharacters whose appearance inTales of the Shirewould make complete sense. But there’s one well-knownLord of the Ringscharacter thatTales of the Shireshould steer clear of.
Tales of the Shire Should Avoid Gollum At All Costs
A Gollum Cameo In Tales of the Shire Wouldn’t Make Much Sense
One reason why Gollum should not make an appearance inTales of the Shireis that it wouldn’t make much sense given the game’s placement in the franchise timeline. IfTales of the Shireis set afterthe events ofThe Hobbit, then Bilbo Baggins has already stolen the One Ring from Gollum in the Misty Mountains.
Gollum pursues Bilbo for a while but loses track of him and stumbles into Mordor. Gollum works for Shelob for a few decades before he’s eventually captured by Sauron’s dark army and tortured repeatedly. This means that by the time ofTales of the Shire, Gollum is nowhere near Bywater.
Gollum Wouldn’t Suit a Cozy Game
While the Stoor-turned-monster may have been turned into cute plushes and other merchandise, Gollum is very much a villainous and hideous creature, albeit a tragic one. As such, Gollum wouldn’t really fitTales of the Shire’s cozy game tone or aesthetic. It’s hard to imagine Gollum’s broken, gray skin next toTales of the Shire’s vibrant green fields and brightly-lit Hobbit home interiors.
Gollum Doesn’t Have The Best Reputation in Gaming
The Lord of the Ringshasn’t had the best luck in the video game world, especially not in recent years.2023’sThe Lord of the Rings: Gollumwas an infamous disaster, with its stealth gameplay suffering from some severe technical issues, its story being lackluster, and its graphics being as off-putting as the eponymous creature.
Despite releasing almost two years ago,The Lord of the Rings: Gollumis still fairly fresh in gamers' minds, with its infamously poor reception being hard to forget. It’s probably inTales of the Shire’s best interest to distance itself fromGollumas much as it can, and that might mean leaving the character out of the game entirely.
That all said, ifTales of the Shiredid want toreference Gollum, there are ways it could do so that don’t mean giving him a fully-fledged cameo. For instance, Gandalf could simply mention the creature in passing, or Bilbo could allude to his encounter with him if he’s in the game.
