The Lord of the Rings: Gollum has reached what might be its final form - a bargain bin title priced at just $2.99 in the Xbox Store's current sale, running through May 27. This represents a staggering 93% discount from its original $40 price tag, offering curious gamers a risk-free way to experience one of 2023's most notorious gaming disasters.

When it launched in May 2023, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum became an instant case study in how not to develop a licensed game. Critics and players universally panned its clunky mechanics, subpar graphics, and countless bugs that made the game nearly unplayable at launch. The Steam version reportedly sold only 26,000 copies with a peak concurrent player count of just 758 - dismal numbers for a major licensed title.

Two years after its catastrophic release, the Xbox Store's current sale features Gollum alongside actually well-received titles like BioShock: The Collection and Cult of the Lamb. With an OpenCritic score of just 37/100, this might represent the game's last chance to find any audience at all.

The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Sale Price on the Xbox Store

• $2.99 (until May 27)

Behind the scenes, the game's development was reportedly plagued by toxic workplace conditions and unpaid overtime. The situation worsened when publisher Nacon issued an apology letter that was later revealed to be entirely AI-generated using ChatGPT.

While Gollum represents a low point for Tolkien-based games, the future looks brighter with upcoming titles like Tales of the Shire (July 29) and Amazon's LOTR MMO. Andy Serkis will also return as Gollum in The Hunt for Gollum movie coming in 2027.