Is Lord Of The Rings: Gollum Based On The Books, Movies, Or Extended Universe?
The upcoming The Lord of the Rings: Gollum game from Daedalic Entertainment isn't set to release until 2022, but that hasn't stopped Tolkien fans from analyzing every detail released, including from which sources it draws inspiration. According to the game's Steam page, Gollum's narrative will begin after Bilbo takes the ring from him, likely around the time Gollum is tortured in Mordor, and will stretch through Gollum's time in Mirkwood. This part of Gollum's life is largely unexplored in media adaptations, and a main question surrounding the game is if it will draw inspiration from the books, movies, other Lord of the Rings materials, or some combination thereof.
So far, there have been more than 30 games set in The Lord of the Rings universe, not including the recently-canceled The Lord of the Rings MMO from Amazon Games. Currently, the rights to video game and film adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books are held by Middle-Earth Enterprises. In the past, they have licensed game rights to Vivendi, EA and, eventually, Warner Brothers. Most recently, it announced a partnership with Daedalic Entertainment for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
Because of that partnership, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum draws inspiration from Tolkien's literary works, not the movies. This is further supported by the fact that the story of Gollum between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring is, according to Tolkiengateway.net, only told in "The Hunt for the Ring," itself a story never included in the original printing, but part of a few posthumous books, including Unfinished Tales, which Tolkien's son Christopher edited to compile interesting stories that were never officially completed prior to his father's death. The art and gameplay released for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum thus far also seem to reflect Tolkien's prolific descriptions as well, but there are many more possibilities that could be revealed closer to the game's launch.
If the game does follow the narrative of "The Hunt for the Ring," as its Steam description implies, it's imperative for fidelity and fan enthusiasm to have Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: Gollum. According to Tolkien's writing, some time after Gollum's release from Mordor, Aragorn finds Gollum and decides to bring him to Mirkwood to be a prisoner of the elves there. Aragorn's inclusion in the game could also help support the developer's statement, provided by publisher Nacon, that Gollum had been everywhere and met everyone in The Lord of the Rings universe.
Fans of the films will still likely be interested in seeing this part of the Ring's history, however, as all of The Lord of the Rings: Gollum's confirmed characters are also featured in the films, and given how closely the films generally follow the story of the books, Gollum's journey will remain interesting, potentially leading all the way to his following the Fellowship at Moria - though the extent of the story isn't yet known. In any case, no likenesses of the film's cast appear to be used in the game, leaving it likely that, though nothing is yet known for sure, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum is mostly based on Tolkien's original - possibly also posthumously published - work.
Source: Tolkiengateway.net, Nacon