HubertKerfuffle wrote:
Uncharted lands to the East where the Haradrim come from, or maybe delving into Silmarillion lore & the scattering of the elf clans.
Certainly Rohan/Emyn Muil (Dead Marshes)/Isengard/Fangorn Wood would be the most likely choices for the next expansion or three
As much as I might agree with you, be aware that Turbine has only licensed the three books of the trilogy (FotR, TT & RotK). No license has been granted for the other works of Tolkien including The Silmarillion and The Hobbit...
Therefore, Turbine has to chart a very careful course when creating content for the game. They can not use anything outside the licensed material since they have not paid for the use of this (additional) intellectual property.
Everything they do is monitored by the estate of JRR Tolkien and all evolution of and change to the game must be approved by the estate.
Is Turbine already using the Silmarillion? No doubt they are
aware of it, but they can't use it as the basis for any game systems or locations. And unless they choose to expand their license to include other works, everything they do has to come only from or at least be based upon its existence within the trilogy.