How did EA come to work with New Line on the Lord of the Rings games?
Nina Dobner: Lord of the Rings was obviously one of the hottest licenses in town, so New Line Cinema needed somebody they could trust to produce and develop the videogame. As the largest publisher of video games in the world, EA was the obviously choice. IGN: What input does New Line have on the games? Nina: Both New Line and the film production company in New Zealand are integrally tied into the entire development process of the game. Right from the conceptual stage down to the final production builds their input is sought and listened to. We don’t consider New Line a licensor, but more a true partner. As soon as we have the earliest storyboards and bare bones outline for a game, New Line are right at the table with me, giving their feedback. This is also the stage at which we introduce Peter Jackson, Barrie Osborne and the rest of the film production team to the key concepts and get there feedback. From here on, I meet with the actors, the film-makers and New Line on a regular basis
