A battle of rights: why video game adaptations aren't always faithful to the books
In short: In 2002, Electronic Arts released a hit game based on Peter Jackson's film, but it left out significant portions of J.R.R. Tolkien's original novel. This wasn't a creative choice, but a legal necessity born from a complex web of competing intellectual property rights.
The 2002 video game 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' was an adaptation of Peter Jackson's cinematic vision rather than J.R.R. Tolkien's literary work. This distinction meant that any plot elements or characters from the second volume of the novel not featured in the films were excluded from the game. A division in licensing caused this restriction: Vivendi Universal Games and Tolkien Enterprises controlled rights for book-based video games, whereas Electronic Arts possessed the rights for film-based adaptations from New Line Cinema. This legal split occurred because Vivendi held the rights to literary adaptations, while Electronic Arts managed the cinematic versions. Consequently, the game could only depict what was shown on screen.
Because of this divide, EA chose to incorporate elements from 'The Fellowship of the Ring' film into their 'The Two Towers' game, rather than releasing a separate title. This strategy resulted in a commercial success, with the game selling nearly four million units. This outperformed Vivendi's adaptation of the first novel, which sold just over one million units. This approach allowed EA to merge plot details from the first film into their second installment. Such a strategy helped the title achieve significant popularity.
The game's content varied significantly across platforms. The PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions were third-person hack and slash titles featuring Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. In contrast, the Game Boy Advance version adopted a more 'Diablo'-like isometric perspective, focusing on loot-based gear and offering bespoke campaigns for characters like Frodo, Gandalf, and Éowyn. Despite these differences, the game's success paved the way for a 2003 sequel based on the third film, 'The Return of the King'. The handheld version featured unique missions for several characters, including Éowyn and Frodo. It also included a multiplayer mode via the Game Boy link function.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (video game)
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