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Turbine's Vision

Interview: Turbine Confirms Console Project, Talks Future Plans

When we heard this morning that Turbine was planning to put part of its $40 million Time Warner-led investment to work doing console MMOs, we wondered if a console version of Dungeons & Dragons Online or Lord of the Rings Online could be in the works.

Alas, when we spoke to Turbine's communications director Adam Mersky today, he confirmed Turbine is "actively developing a title for console," but declined to specify.

"We've hired over 60 people since the beginning of the year," said Mersky, and 40 more job postings for the project are currently waiting to be filled. "The people that invested in us, Time Warner... one of the media giants, getting into the MMO fold, and that's obviously a big deal," he said. "They also have a huge distribution network... that may bear fruit for us."

And that investment, Mersky said, makes Turbine "well funded for a good time into the future," and he told Kotaku a bit more about what the company plans to do with that money.

More »

3:30 PM on Tue Jun 10 2008
By Leigh Alexander
3,106 views, 13 comments

Big Bucks For Turbine

Time Warner Hitches Its Star To Turbine With $40 Million Investment

Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine has just snagged $40 million in equity financing primarily from Time Warner and GGV Capital, the company announced today.

The company's existing investors also helped out this funding round, and Time Warner said Turbine was "an important addition to [its] entertainment initiatives."

Both Time Warner and GGV look to be betting big on the growth of online worlds; full announcement follows the jump.

More »

8:40 AM on Wed Jun 4 2008
By Leigh Alexander
1,910 views, 33 comments

one year of lotro

LotRO Celebrates Year One - Lifetime Memberships Return

It's been a great first year for Lord of the Rings Online, and Turbine has an entire month of celebrations planned for one of the most successful MMO launches since World of Warcraft. It all starts with the launch of Book 13: Doom of the Last-King, which adds the frosty reaches of Forochel to the landmass and a brand-new Monster Player class in the Defiler, seen menacingly above. Monsters will be dropping rare items throughout the month that you can exchange for in-game rewards, and if returning players want to check those out they'll be allowed five days free play to see how the game has evolved since launch. Finally, special subscription plans are in effect for a limited time, with plans over 90 days in length costing only $9.99 a month, and the return of the launch premium lifetime memberships for only $199. Hit the jump for more details on the celebration of a year of l337-speaking Hobbits. More »

7:00 PM on Thu Apr 24 2008
By Mike Fahey
3,786 views, 38 comments

Latest by svetlana: Anyone know if I buy this game stateside I can play it in Japan in August when I move there? I know that, with WoW, I'd just have to deal with ridiculous login times etc. for the overseas more »

lord of the rings

LotRO Reaches The Ocean

The latest chapter in the ever-expanding Lord of the Rings Online introduces Forochel, a new region which lies in the far, frozen north of Eriador, which gives players their very first chance to see the ocean in the game. It's funny how you don't notice such a thing missing until it's pointed out to you. Along with giant patches of water, Book 13: Doom of the Last-king promises new cold-based terrain effects. What that means exactly I have no idea. Perhaps slippery patches of ice? It's about time for an MMO to introduce slippery patches of ice. Failing that, some really well-crafted fjords. Turbine promises more info on the next free expansion shortly. For now, it's LotRO on ice! More »

10:20 AM on Wed Apr 9 2008
By Mike Fahey
2,857 views, 25 comments

Latest by n/a: Yup EQ was the First MMO I can think of with ice.... NOW if LOTRO wants to be the first to have boot attachments such as climbing spikes or snowshoes to negate that negate that slip. Then that would more »

lotro

Lord of the Rings Online Kicks Off April Fool's With The Battle of Amon Hen

It may be March 31 on the Kotaku Tower desk calendar, but it's April 1 somewhere in the realms of The Lord of the Rings Online. Turbine has decided to make with the massively-multiplayer hilarity, announcing that a new playable race, the Fowl-People, would join the currently playable Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits, bringing new epic quests and new housing options (coops, henhouses, etc.).

The jokes are too good to spoil here, so make your way to the official site. But pee before you do. We can't have your LOL-derived incontinence on our hands. This is sure to be just a mere speck on the landscape of puns, gags and sidesplitters to be delivered this April Fool's, so brace yourself for all comers.

The Battle of Amon Hen [LotRO]

7:20 PM on Mon Mar 31 2008
By Michael McWhertor
4,328 views, 37 comments

expansion plans

LotRO Expansion Explores Mines Of Moria

With so much free content coming on a regular basis for Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online, the announcement of the first retail expansion, Mines of Moria, took me completely off guard. Announced today at the Connect 08 event and slated for a fall release, the expansion signals the beginning of Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online, and brings with it some pretty significant new features. First and foremost the expansion includes two new classes, the Rune-keeper and the Warden, both of which they can take up to level 60 with the accompanying increase in level cap. The expansion will also introduce item advancement, which allows you to craft magnificent, customizable weapons that level along with you, complete with weapon titles, virtue advancement, and runic legacies. To celebrate the announcement, players can register at http://www.unlocktheminesofmoria.com, where starting March 31st they can play mini-games that will unlock previews, assets, and in-game items.
More »

8:40 AM on Fri Mar 14 2008
By Mike Fahey
6,707 views, 26 comments

Latest by EnigmaNemesis: @SlayerOfMuffins: LOTRO is already about the Witch King, thus called "Shadows of Angmar". What is the other games excuse for such similar lore rip? more »

swag

Codemasters Connect Offers Shirow Armor, Jumpgate Beta Keys

Codemasters' Connect '08 event at the Omega Sektor in Birmingham England is coming March 14th and 15th, and they've lined up some truly amazing freebies for visitors to their MMO showcase. Probably the coolest item is for RF Online players. They've had Masamune Shirow of Ghost in the Shell fame create a suit of armor for every class in the game, and my god are they beautiful. The suit above is for a female Cora Warrior, and the rest are just as cool! Lord of the Rings Online players who attend will get a special in-game title for their character, while Archlord players will get some exclusive armor. All attendees will also get a Jumpgate Evolution pack complete with a beta key! I was invited to go myself, but seeing as I am moving on the 15th there's not a chance in hell...and I want some Shirow armor dammit! You go look at the pretty armor while I go cry.

Exclusive Armour set for every connect attendee! [RF Online Forums]

2:40 PM on Fri Feb 22 2008
By Mike Fahey
3,802 views, 42 comments

Latest by MysticTalos: listen up everyone... if you are saying that RF is not a good game you are a fcuckin NOOB. If you know something about games ...starting from the nes rpgs going to ps2, dreamcast and cube then you know that rf more »

mmo update

Turbine Continues To Impress With LOTRO Book 12

Turbine continues to kick the living crap out of most other MMORPGs feature-wise with the announcement of the latest free content update, Book 12: The Ashen Wastes. Book 12 introduces a mechanic that so many MMOs need but so very few utilize - the outfit system. Basically it allows you to customize the gear your character wears without affecting your armor stats, meaning that no matter what armor you put on, you can maintain the look you want. You wanna be known as the hobbit in hot pink pants? You can be that hobbit without worrying about your look changing every time you find a better piece of armor. They're also introducing barbershops where you can deck your character out in one of more than 50 new hairstyles, which is nifty indeed. On the actual game front, they are introducing The Delving of Frór, a 12-player raid dungeon that switches between player character and player monster control based on the faction winning the battle in the Ettenmoors, sort of like the Darkness Falls dungeon in Dark Age of Camelot. Enhanced player housing, over 100 new quests, and the chance to recover the ancient ring Narchuil round out the impressive feature list in Book 12. Hit the jump for more details, while I ponder the reactivation question for the umpteenth time. More »

10:20 AM on Wed Feb 13 2008
By Mike Fahey
4,664 views, 70 comments

Latest by AMonkey: Sounds pretty nice. I don't think I can be bothered to download the trial and none of the classes seem to fit what I want. When I get bored of WoW I'm sure I'll give it a shot. more »

mmorpg

LotRO Gets Prettier With Nvidia and DX10

Turbine is extremely pleased to announce that their relatively successful MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online is the first MMO to fully support DirectX 10 and Nvidia's Geforce graphics processors. Utilizing the combined forces of the two, the MMO is now sporting upgraded water shaders, better particle effects, and more far-reaching lighting than ever before, along with a DX10 exclusive dynamicshadowing system. In layman's terms, if you got the right parts, the game just got a lot prettier.

"The FPS genre has long dominated the race to better graphics but with this major update from Turbine, The Lord of the Rings Online players can enjoy graphics as good as or even better than many FPS games. This is an outstanding achievement and the whole Turbine team should be rightly proud of what they have produced," said Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA
Right. In my world, high-end graphics and MMO games equals lag city, but who knows? Maybe Turbine and Nvidia have some sort of genie imprisoned somewhere. Since I don't have an active account for the game, it is all up to you folks. Is it prettier? Is it secret? Is it safe?

Update: Turbine sent me a lovely comparison shot, seen above, that really highlights the differences between the two versions. Thanks!

More »

9:20 AM on Mon Jan 7 2008
By Mike Fahey
6,808 views, 40 comments

Latest by r1chard: Damn the lack of an edit button. I meant to mention that the DX10 support in LOTRO has been in for a month and a half and that I really like the extra details it provides. I guess my post more »

hobbit holidays

LotRO Gets Cheaper For The Holidays

With Blizzard adding a cold pack to their Burning Crusade and NCsoft giving Guild Wars players five hours of marketing, what does Lord of the Rings Online have to offer MMO players this Holiday season? Low, low prices! From now until January 31st, new and existing subscribers to LotRO can pay only $9.99 month, $5 off their normal $14.99 rate. You'll have to pay $29.97 for three months at a time in order to take advantage of the special offer, but 33% off is nothing to scoff at. Of course had you known you'd be so addicted you would have just dropped $200 at launch for the lifetime subscription. Hindsight, huh?

LotRO Holiday Promo [Lord Of The Rings Online via FiringSquad]

7:00 PM on Fri Dec 7 2007
By Mike Fahey
1,185 views, 13 comments

Latest by theun4gven: Is that the alien from 'Mac and Me?' more »

lord of the rings

LOTRO Book 11: More Cowbell

Sure, Turbine and Codemasters' 3rd major free content patch for Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar introduces over 100 new quests, your first glimpse of Gollum, two new areas, Amarthiel's ring of power, a raid against a Balrog, and player housing. That's all well and good, but the single most important aspect of the new update, due out on October 25th, is to the music system, my favorite aspect of the entire game. Three new instruments are being introduced with the update, including the bagpipes and god's very voice on earth - the cowbell. Finally all of Middle Earth can be graced by the most complete version of my masterpiece, "Don't Fear The Ringwraith." Hit the jump for info on that other crap.
More »

11:20 AM on Thu Oct 18 2007
By Mike Fahey
3,767 views, 20 comments

Latest by Naia: Ooo I play LoTRO, though haven't been logging in lately. Level 32 Minstrel. I'm more interested in SGW though, wonder when that's coming out.. hehe. =) more »

7 day trial

Play LotRO Free

A nice, week-long vacation in Middle Earth sounds absolutely lovely right now. I mean, they've got everything; verdant hills, babbling brooks, Misty Mountains, all-encompassing battle to determine the fate of the world...toss in some taquitos and I'm there. Right now you can take a 7-day trip to the land of hobbits for the low, low price of free as Turbine launches a free trial for their critically acclaimed MMO, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Just head over to http://trial.lotro.com to sign up, wait out what is sure to be a massive, time-consuming download, and you'll be toking up pipeweed in the Shire in no time. If anything it'll be something to do in between periods of swearing you'll never return to World of Warcraft. More »

6:30 PM on Wed Aug 29 2007
By Mike Fahey
11,073 views, 33 comments

Latest by n/a: The monthly fee is $15 with discounts for paying for more than a month at a time. If you know anyone who has been with the game since it launched, there was a promotion where they could extend their $10 more »

gc07

Codemasters Reveals GC07 Lineup

Codemasters has unveiled their lineup for next week's Games Convention in Leipzig, and it looks to me like they'll be having a fairly strong showing. Along with the aforementioned split-screen multiplayer for Overlord, the company is presenting two eagerly anticipated titles for the first time ever in playable form to the general public: Squad-based horror FPS Clive Barker's Jericho and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, playable for the first time ever at GC. I'm interested to see the reception Turning Point gets specifically as it's an alternate reality WWII shooter that begins with Nazi forces invading New York. Still a bit of a sensitive topic in Germany I hear. Joining the two new games are Colin McRae: DiRT and a playable first look at the next Lord of the Rings Online update, The City of the Kings. Definitely a respectable showing from one of the oldest game developers in the UK. Details follow the leap of faith we call the jump. More »

8:40 AM on Wed Aug 15 2007
By Mike Fahey
1,268 views, 29 comments

Latest by hvnlysoldr: Man I wish Retro revives Action Adventure that deals with Neo-Nazis and 3 overly sexy female protagonists in a Sci-Fi world. more »

the city of kings

LOTRO Book 10 Detailed

Turbine continues it's quest to make Lord of the Rings Online players dizzy with new content next week. August 21st sees the release of Book 10: The City of Kings, the second free content update to the massively popular online roleplaying game. Highlights include newly customizable UI (thank god), new reputation (faction) and bartering systems, the latter being akin to WoW's pvp reward system, where you trade trophies for special items, the introduction of the Ranger of the North and Troll into monster play, and over 100 new quests. In case that wasn't enough, you'll be able to play as a chicken. Yes - a tiny, harmless little chicken. Hunting for worms has never been so...present in an MMO. Weird, but I like it. Hit the jump for full details! More »

9:20 AM on Mon Aug 13 2007
By Mike Fahey
4,485 views, 14 comments

Latest by Miososin: Ok, I guess I have to defend this game because all over the internet WoWers are trashing the hell out of it. If you like WoW there is no way you can not like this game. The graphics are far more »

bring your athame

LOTRO Celebrates The Summer Solstice

Turbine continues to impress the hell out of me with the level of support and dedication they have to making sure Lord of the Rings Online stays fresh and exciting despite the fact that their main audience has been perfectly content to read the same fifty year-old fantasy series over and over again. This Wednesday sees the beginning of their first big festival event, The Summer Solstice Festival
The Summer Solstice Festival is called different things by different races. Whether it's the Lithe Festival (Hobbits), Summerdays (Men), Summerfest (Dwarves) or the Festival of Enedhin (Elves), they all share the common themes of summer including planting, dancing, drinking, games and fireworks.

Pretty much everything Kotaku stands for. Promising new quests, scavenger hunts, fireworks, and even special dance emote quest reward, the festival will run until July 10th, giving me plenty of time to forget to login and miss out on special Hobbit dances. *sniffs* Michael Fahey More »

11:24 AM on Mon Jun 18 2007
By Mike Fahey
1,315 views, 10 comments

Latest by Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.: LOTRO has potential, so far it's a cookie-cutter fantasy MMO, but then again that fits given the source material... Sounds like they're having fun. They do cool stuff like this in City of Heroes too. more »

lord of the dance

LOTRO Shores of Evendim Detailed

A little over a month old and Lord of the Rings Online is ready for a major free content upgrade, further entrenching Turbine and Codemasters in the hearts of Tolkien fans around the world. For weeks now we've been logging in to see the teaser screen, and finally today details emerge on the Shores of Evendim patch. It's a whole slew of new content, including one major feature that might get my short attention span having butt to resubscribe:
Major Updates to the Music System — In addition to the new percussion and bass instruments, players can now utilize a new music notation system that enables them to compose music offline and upload it to your character in-game.

You have no idea how amazingly happy that makes me. No more sitting in Hobbiton plunking through the Rugrats theme song for me. Now I can plunk with one button! More »

8:24 AM on Tue Jun 5 2007
By Mike Fahey
3,352 views, 14 comments

Latest by EnigmaNemesis: Good stuff! I have been enjoying this game. And the additions sound really cool! more »

hard hobbit to break

LOTRO Tops PC Sales in USA and Europe

Midway, Turbine, and Codemasters are completely freaking ecstatic to announce that The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angamar, or LOTRO as we affectionately call it, is the #1 PC game in North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. According to the most recent industry reports (see the release), the power of Tolkien and the popularity of the films have brought PC gamers out in droves to get a chance to frolic in Middle Earth. More »

11:24 AM on Thu May 10 2007
By Mike Fahey
3,485 views, 30 comments

Latest by brodie123: Like so many others, after playing WoW for so long and trying out other MMORPG's(EQ2, D&D) that just can't hold a candle to that very behemoth, LOTRO is a certainly a good time and a step in the right direction.. more »

lotro

The Gates to Middle Earth Swing Wide

Arrows have been nocked, swords have been drawn, and Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar has gone live. As I type this hundreds of new Hobbits are being created, along with thousands of elves with names like Llegolass, Regorass, Orlando, et cetera. Expect a handful of dwarves. People who play dwarves have issues. More »

10:20 AM on Tue Apr 24 2007
By Mike Fahey
2,486 views, 37 comments