VIDEO: LEGO Lord of the Rings finally announced

Yet another terribly kept secret no longer has to be restricted to huddled whispers – Warner Bros has officially announced LEGO Lord of the Rings.

As we all expected, the game will follow the ever-popular formula of past LEGO titles and offer a light-hearted take on the epic Tolkien trilogy. Players take on the role of all of their favourite Fellowship characters, reliving key scenes from the movies such as the Mines of Moria and the battle for Helm’s Deep.

Interestingly the trailer – which you can view below – suggests the game will feature dialogue clips from the film. This is a further step away from the series’ usual cast of mute mini-figures, with this month’s LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes also featuring dialogue.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings will be released for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, 3DS, Vita and PC this autumn – around the same time that Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit arrives in cinemas.

"We are huge aficionados of The Lord of the Rings franchise and are incredibly excited to put our special LEGO family-friendly touch on this classic fantasy adventure," said TT Games MD Tom Stone.

"We’ve taken what fans are familiar with and love about The Lord of the Rings films and combined it with the playful LEGO style, which makes the story and gameplay accessible to gamers of all ages."

LEGO The Lord of the Rings was first rumoured back in January when Warner Bros signed a deal with LEGO for new toy sets. The first products from this partnership confirmed a game was in development.

Earlier this week, Warner Bros also announced a download-only multiplayer Lord of the Rings title: Guardians of Middle-Earth. The title is due on XBLA and PSN this autumn.