Tales of the Shire Reveals New Character Ahead of Launch [EXCLUSIVE]

Game Rant can exclusively reveal a new look at Old Noakes from Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game. This sneak peek at Tales of the Shire arrives mere weeks ahead of its late July 2025 release.

Developed by New Zealand studio Weta Gameshop, Tales of the Shire is a life simulation game that was originally announced in September 2023. It aims to deliver a cozy experience of living one’s best life in the Shire, the hobbit country in the northwestern Middle-earth. Following several delays, Tales of the Shire is scheduled to debut across PC and consoles on July 29.

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In the run-up to this release, publisher Fictions—formerly known as Private Division—shared some new Tales of the Shire screenshots and gameplay footage, which Game Rant can exclusively reveal. The materials focus on the game’s rendition of Old Noakes, a long-time resident of Bywater in The Lord of the Rings lore. Described as cranky but knowledgeable, Old Noakes is extremely passionate about fishing and will often be found near bodies of water.

Old Noakes Ties Into Tales of the Shire’s Core Activity

Old Noakes’s passion for fishing doesn’t merely exist for backstory purposes, but ties into one of the core activities of the upcoming game. Tales of the Shire will feature an elaborate fishing mini-game, with players being able to catch fish in the Bywater Pool and along the Water River running through Hobbiton and Bywater. According to some previously shared promotional materials, the upcoming life sim will include at least a dozen fish species, some of which will only appear in select spots and during certain times of the day. Multiple fishing rods will also be part of the package, as will a variety of bait types.

An excerpt from Tales of the Shire‘s script seen by Game Rant suggests that Old Noakes may provide players with guidance on how and where to fish. Fishing will be just one of several ways of procuring cooking ingredients in the game. Once created, Tales of the Shire‘s meals will be shareable with other hobbits in order to build relationships with them. Understanding NPCs’ preferences will be key, as not all characters will respond equally to every dish. In Old Noakes’s case, fish appears to align well with his known interests.

Tales of the Shire will have a same-day release on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It will mark the first non-mobile LOTR game since The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria, a survival crafting action adventure released in October 2023.