Lord of the Rings: War in the North all about "fellowship"

The co-op experience is central to Lord of the Rings: The War in the North, according to Snowblind Studios.

"That's really what we want," producer Ruth Tomandl told Gamespot.

"For core gamers to be able to play a game that challenges them with someone who might not be a core gamer but who really likes Lord of the Rings or who wants to play that couch co-op action RPGs."

Warner Bros. put Snowblind on the project thanks to its past credits in the genre, including Baldur's gate: Dark Alliance and Champions of Norrath.

"Snowblind's history is co-op action RPGs. That's what they're known for - that's really what we're good at," Tomandl said.

"So when Warner Bros. acquired Snowblind and acquired the rights to Lord of the Rings for games, they knew it was a really great match. They really wanted a Lord of the Rings game that focussed on co-op, focussed on that fellowship aspect of it, that idea of working together.

"That's really Snowblind's strength, so that's why they chose us for it."

War in the North will support single player, or two- to three-player multiplayer on all three platforms.

Both console version will support splitscreen in addition to online multiplayer, meaning you and a buddy can sit side-by-side on the couch and be joined by a third over the Internet.

If you prefer to go it alone or only bring one mate, then the AI takes over. Tomandl commented that the AI is "actually really good at the game".

See the full interview below. War in the North is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late August.