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A dev tried to warn WB Games not to launch Lord of the Rings: War in the North 10 days before Skyrim, but was ‘overruled’
A former developer says he warned Warner Bros. Games against releasing The Lord of the Rings: War in the North only 10 days before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but the decision was overruled. The episode matters because it illustrates how a crowded launch window can undermine a game’s prospects, even when its team recognises the commercial risk.
Snowblind Studios released the co-operative action RPG on 1 November 2011, while Skyrim arrived on 11 November amid several other major autumn releases. War in the North received mixed reviews and disappointing sales, and WB Games closed Snowblind shortly after launch; the developer believes the timing contributed significantly to the result.
In short
- Developer warned against launching near Skyrim.
- WB Games reportedly overruled the concern.
- Poor timing coincided with weak sales and Snowblind’s closure.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The developer's warning proved prescient—launching War in the North only days before Skyrim was plainly poor strategy, as Skyrim dominated November 2011's gaming conversation and consumer budgets. That a professional developer flagged this specific commercial risk internally and was overruled, only for the game to underperform and the studio to close shortly after, suggests management made a costly error by ignoring expert counsel on a straightforward calculation.
The case against
Whilst timing may have been suboptimal, it remains unclear whether it was the decisive factor in the game's failure. Mixed critical reviews suggest quality concerns may have mattered more, and there could have been contractual, marketing, or operational constraints that made a November launch unavoidable. Retrospective analysis benefits from hindsight; management presumably balanced the timing concern against other business pressures, and attributing the studio's closure solely to a ten-day gap overlooks other possible commercial factors.
Explained simply
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North is a co-operative role-playing game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world. It was made by Snowblind Studios and published by Warner Bros. Games in 2011.
The game launched on 1 November, ten days before The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, a major fantasy role-playing game. A former developer says he warned against the timing but was overruled. War in the North received mixed reviews and sold poorly, and Warner Bros. closed Snowblind soon after release; the developer believes the crowded launch period contributed to the outcome.