Gaming | Lord of the Rings & Tolkien News - TheOneRing.net Fan Community, since 1999

WESTWOOD, MA and CHICAGO, IL – May 10, 2007 – Today, Turbine, Inc., Midway Games Inc. and Codemasters Online Gaming announced that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ is the #1 selling PC title across North America and Europe based on the most recent industry reports. The Lord of the Rings Online has outsold all other PC games across North America, Germany, United Kingdom and France according to data from NPD (NA), Chart-Track (UK), GfK (France) and Media Control (Germany).

In addition to soaring sales, The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) has been enthusiastically received by gaming critics around the globe:

The New York Times proclaimed LOTRO as “a major achievement of interactive storytelling, the first game truly worthy of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ franchise and a must-play for just about anyone with an interest in Tolkien or the future of online entertainment.”
GameSpy awarded the game its prestigious Editor’s Choice award with 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Computer and Video Games, a leading UK gaming site, rated the game a 9.2 out of 10 and said “LOTRO presents a stunning and evocative world of Tolkien magic to explore.”
GameDaily, a leading US gaming site, rated the game a 9 out of 10 and calls the game “a hot contender for PC game of the year.”

“This outstanding start sets the stage for a bright future,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “This is only the beginning as we embark on an incredible journey with our players to expand the world of Middle-earth with the release of regular content updates.”

“Following the most successful North American pre-order program in Midway’s history, The Lord of the Rings Online is off to a great start,” said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. “As the positive reports and reviews continue to come in, gamers are settling into the game and experiencing Middle-earth as never before.”

“The fabulous response from consumers and the media has been overwhelming,” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming. “It’s been a great launch, but it’s only the beginning for us. We look forward to rapid growth and welcoming thousands more to Middle-earth!”

The Lord of the Rings Online delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. For more information about The Lord of the Rings Online, please visit www.lotro.com or www.lotro-europe.com.

About Turbine

Turbine, Inc. is a premier developer, publisher and operator of online entertainment and is headquartered in Westwood, Massachusetts. The company is one of the largest privately-held online games companies in North America. Turbine’s catalog includes some of the most famous online entertainment brands, including Asheron’s Call®, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ONLINE™: Stormreach™, and The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™. For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com.

About Codemasters

Codemasters is a leading developer and publisher of best-selling interactive entertainment products for a global audience on current and future gaming platforms and channels. Established in 1986, the company’s dominant brands include Colin McRae Rally, TOCA Race Driver, LMA Manager, Brian Lara Cricket and Operation Flashpoint. The company is headquartered in Southam, Warwickshire UK and maintains operations in the US, Germany, France, Spain, and Benelux. More information about the company and its products is available online at www.codemasters.com.

About Midway

Midway Games Inc. (NYSE:MWY), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices throughout the world, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for major videogame systems and personal computers. More information about Midway and its products can be found at www.midway.com.

About Tolkien Enterprises

The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other rights in J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien Enterprises has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on Tolkien’s works for almost 30 years. Its headquarters are in Berkeley, California, and its website may be found at www.tolkien-ent.com.

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James writes: Have you guys heard how badly the Lord of the Rings Online Launch is going in Europe? The game has sold by the bucket reaching number one in less than a week, but now the bad news. Unlike our American cousins, the servers cannot cope, it seems that Codemasters, the Euro distributors have gone their own way with the hardware and there is downtime for hours nearly every day for hours at a time. The login servers constantly crash and we already have had hardware problems, check the Euro forums. [More]

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Is “The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar” truly the one massively multiplayer online video game to rule them all? Only time will tell, but it’s certainly off to a strong start. After just a few weeks of exploring, this new online version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional epic is definitely ripe with potential. Like other persistent online role-playing games, “Shadows of Angmar” is an always on, never-ending fantasy world. This particular game gives players the chance to explore part of Tolkien’s massive fantasy universe while you make friends, defeat enemies and grow in stature to the highest rank of level 50. [More]

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Lorien “Ramen” Carney, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: Lead Content Designer Brent “Keth” Schmidt walks us through the making of the Dread System. [More]

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Lorien “Ramen” Carney, Community Relations Specialist for The Lord of the Rings Online writes: We’ve just posted a new Point of Interest on the official LOTRO web site, the North Downs area known as the Fields of Fornost. Today’s selection is served with two new screenshots that depict the somber environment and crumbling monuments of this once-proud region. “Travel to the Fields of Fornost in the North Downs, home to the once-principle city of the Kingdom of Arnor.” [More]

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Jeff Anderson, president and chief executive officer of Turbine Inc., told SCI FI Wire that Lord of the Rings Online: The Shadows of Angmar is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that takes its cues directly from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, but that also expands on them. “[We] took a lead from the master [and] focused [the game] on the first book [in the trilogy] and covered the storyline as Frodo and Sam leave the Shire and start moving towards … Rivendell,” Anderson said in an interview at the New York Comic Con over the weekend. “Post-launch we are going to tell more of the story as the fellowship leaves that area and goes forth … all the way to Mount Doom.”

The main storyline of the game covers many of the same events as the first book of Tolkien’s trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, Anderson said. “Everything from Gandalf being captured … [to] Strider meeting up with the fellowship at The Prancing Pony [to] the fight on Weathertop,” he said. “We’ve got all those moments in the game, and we communicate that through a variety of different mechanics: through text, through voice-over, through game cinematics. Those all make sure that the player is aware of where the story is.” [More]

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THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE™ Is the #1 Selling PC Game ACROSS NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE

Category: Gaming