A cosy new hobbit-based Lord of the Rings spinoff game has been teased by Wētā Workshop and Private Division. Yes, it is actually happening.

Tales of the Shire was announced to celebrate Hobbit Day, and promises to provide a snuggly "heart-warming" experience set in Tolkein's Middle-earth universe. It's coming from Wētā Workshop and Private Division and will arrive sometime next year. Needless to say, I am more than a little bit excited.

To accompany this announcement, a small teaser was also released. It is short and suitably charming, showing a young person humming as she sits at a table strewn with flora and art supplies. There are also modern bits and pieces, such as headphones. She is painting in a book, and while I have nothing to base this on other than my hunch, she looks to be painting herself as a hobbit. Could this be Tales of the Shire's soon to be pint-sized protagonist?

Other pictures include the Shire itself, plates of food (of course), and signposts for familiar Tolkein locales such as the Green Dragon and Bywater. You can watch for yourself in the video below.

We don't know much about Tales of the Shire just yet beyond the tease. It is coming to PC and consoles some time in 2024, although no specific release window has been mentioned yet.

The Tales of the Shire team has said it will fully reveal its game next year, so I will be keeping my eyes out and ears open. Maybe I should make like Sam and start doing some late night gardening outside the developer's HQ. And of course, when I am inevitably found, I can simply insist I wasn't droppin' no eaves, I was just cutting the grass under the window there...

Think they'd buy it?