The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Dev Warned Warner Bros. Not to Go Up Against Skyrim Back in 2011

In November 2011, Warner Bros. released two fantasy games based on established IPs concurrently: Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Snowblind Studios' The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Unfortunately, War in the North failed commercially, while Skyrim went on to become a massive success, selling over 65 million copies.

Despite receiving advice from a high-ranking developer, Warner Bros. decided to launch War in the North in the same week as Skyrim, a decision that proved risky. Christian Allen, the design director at WB Games Seattle, tried to convince Warner Bros. to avoid releasing War in the North alongside Skyrim. Allen believed that doing so would give War in the North an unfair advantage and ensure it got a fair shake.

However, his concerns were disregarded, and the game was released, ultimately failing to make a significant impact. The commercial success of Skyrim overshadowed War in the North, with many reviews comparing the two games and War in the North receiving little marketing attention. Following the game's failure, Snowblind Studios merged with Monolith Productions.

Later, Warner Bros. decided to shut down Monolith, canceling their Wonder Woman video game. Allen now serves as the design director for Steam hit Project Zomboid.