Middle Earth Purchased By Electronic Arts By David Utter Expert Author Article Date: 2005-07-25 The huge game maker will develop two new games based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" books. An announcement of the agreement comes in the wake of EA's success with games based on Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's epic theatrical renditions of Tolkien's work. While gamers won't see a playable version of The Silmarillion, there will be two new titles that draw more heavily from the books instead of the movies. EA disclosed one title will be a sequel to its Battle for Middle-earth game, and will be available for the PC. Called "Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth II," the real-time strategy game will let gamers battle elven or dwarven armies. Characters and monsters from the canonical works that were not in the movies will appear too, according to an EA statement. The company has a working title for a game being developed for Sony's PlayStation Portable. Called Lord of the Rings Tactics, the game will allow players to customize their heroes, and take the side of the Fellowship or the Shadow. Wi-Fi connectivity will let one player face up to four additional players. The game will use what EA describes as a "unique, simultaneous turn-taking system" in this RPG title. About the Author: David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.