IncGamers: Tolkien IP License

23 Feb 2009 at 11:02:32 by

I think it’s fair to say that the last Lord of the Rings game offering wasn’t met with much enthusiasm.  Conquest, released on the PS3, Xbox 360, PC and the DS, failed to impress and we tried it on two platforms.  After many discussions about whether EA had failed the IP (and whether Conquest was a shameless cash-in before the license ran out), we decided to speak to the company in charge of the LOTR video game license. We had to, of course, bear in mind that there are games out there that really do the IP justice, such as LotRO. 

We got hold of Fredrica Drotos from Saul Zaentz Company, one of three people on the licensing team for the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit IP for videogames and other bits and pieces.  It’s important to note, however, that even though the Tolkien estate isn’t directly involved with the licensing of videogames, Drotos and her team are considered the protectors of the IP.

Combined, Fredrica Drotos, Sam Benson and Joe Mandragona either approve or fail games which eventually make it to our consoles and PCs.

So how does licensing work and how is the licensing team (of three people) split?

I [Fredrica Drotos] deal a lot with the contractual side of things, as well as the licensing issues.  Joe and Sam do a lot of the production services, especially for electronic gaming and Games Workshop.  They make sure what’s coming out is true to the lore.  They make sure that the final product is accurate and something we can proudly present to the Tolkien Estate.


If I’m not wrong, the Tolkien Estate isn’t involved much in the gaming side of things.  How much of a free reign do you have with this?  And to what extent can you influence a final product?

I think that we have pretty much free reign.  We have an idea of what the Tolkien Estate likes and our opinion coincides with theirs.  We feel that we have a good understanding because we’ve had a long relationship with the estate, over 30 years now.  We know there are certain aspects of storytelling that would not be appropriate for this fiction.  Given that our license allows for there to be some creativity, some expansion of what already exists.  But we do have to be mindful that it’s consistent.  It’s actually quite challenging, as you can imagine.  You have to get into the mind of a great author like Tolkien, and then imagine where it may have gone and what places he wouldn’t have been comfortable with.

How difficult is it to please both the estate and the hardcore fans, because I can imagine if you get it slightly wrong, the repercussions from both sides would be nasty?

[Chuckles] Yes.  Erm, yes. That’s why I think the three of us would all agree that we are thrilled with what Turbine has been able to accomplish.  They are very, well insanely, true to how the lore as it’s written now, but are somehow able to catapult it into a new place.


Well, you’re happy with Turbine, but the question is really are you happy with EA’s latest offering?  I know its license period has run out, and we have our own thoughts here at IncGamers why the game wasn’t as good as we’d hoped it to be, but the real question is if you’re unhappy with a product which has been in development for some time, can you turn around and just pull the plug on it?

You’ve hit on a really sore spot.  We were happy with a lot of what EA did and they’re a great company but it’s difficult when something comes down for our review and we have issues with it.


So did you have issues with the game?

We are not videogame experts.  Our job is to make sure that nothing in these games are objectionable.  I don’t think there was anything in the final product of Conquest that was actually objectionable.  It may not be the best game in some people’s opinion, but I don’t think the Tolkien Estate or anyone else could say it was inappropriate as a representation of the Lord of the Rings lore.


So if it doesn’t clash with the lore, the background or the story, it’s not as important because it’s not conflicting with Tolkien’s original idea?

It’s not that it doesn’t matter, it’s that we’re not a videogame company.  I don’t think we’d feel comfortable telling someone like EA that they’re not making a good videogame.  They’re the experts.  It would be similar to us telling a film company that the movie they’re making isn’t good.


Because the lore is really important, would it be worth getting someone in-house in the licensing department to play the videogames to make sure that they satisfy, not only the lore, but also the gamer as an end product and how a game should play?

We love videogames.  When we said we’re not videogame experts, the point is while we play videogames quite a lot, we’re not the designers.  We’re not developers, but we do enjoy playing the games.


So all joking aside then, what did you think of the game [Lord of the Ring: Conquest] as gamers?

As gamers, well we’ve played the Star Wars Battlefront game, so were familiar with that format of a game.  We were initially very excited about Conquest and frankly I still think it’s a decent game.


Do you only deal with video game licenses?

No, we do some other licenses.  So we do more board games and jewelry and goblets and things that appear in the lore which manifest in some other way.  We need to check that they fit the expectations of the lore and the estate, but we even have to go through the legal lines and all the other mundane things like that.  So another example, if lore is quoted, it should be quoted accurately and appropriately.


Is there anything that you look back and wish you hadn’t licensed in hindsight?

Tough question.  You have to understand we’ve been not been here working in this capacity for more than five years.


OK, well, how about if I open it up and say do you wish your predecessors hadn’t licensed anything, what would it be?

[Laughter]  This is a great question, you’ve really stumped us…

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