Codemasters retains LOTRO Europe

By Robert Purchese Published 23 April, 2010

Turbine's new owner Warner co-operating.

Eurogamer has learnt that The Lord of the Rings Online will continue to be distributed and run by Codemasters in Europe, despite Warner's recent purchase of developer Turbine.

"Turbine will continue to work with Codemasters in Europe on distribution of The Lord of the Rings Online game," Martin Tremblay, president of Warner Bros. Interactive, told Eurogamer.

A Codemasters spokesperson added: "Turbine's recently announced acquisition is very positive for the future of its titles. The move will not impact European players where Codemasters Online retains co-publishing and operator rights for The Lord of the Rings Online."

Martin Tremblay said we should "stay tuned" for news about other Turbine games Dungeons & Dragons Online and Asheron's Call.

The acquisition of Turbine means Warner now owns all game rights to The Lord of the Rings. How long Codemasters will be a part of the picture remains to be seen.

The Lord of the Rings Online launched in 2007 and is considered to be Codemasters' most prominent and successful MMO. The game expanded in December 2009 with the Siege of Mirkwood and confidently marches towards matching Asheron's Call's 10-year lifespan.

Head over to our LOTRO Siege of Mirkwood review to find out more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (9) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Avaloner #1 2 years ago

    It's a real shame since, frankly, Codemasters is not doing much for LOTRO here in Europe. No offers, no free time. Nothing. Same goes for D&D Online. They get to play for free in the US but here its the same old subscription system.

  • Machetazo #2 2 years ago

    Does this move closer, or further out, from the F2P DDO Unlimited in Europe? I'm pleased you (EG) sought clarification on LOTRO, though, since no-one else seems to have yet.

  • SClaw #3 2 years ago

    Well, this isn't exactly great news. Codemasters are rubbish.

    However I do hope this whole thing kicks some new life into LOTRO. It's still a great game but some of the starter areas need a refresh, as right now it's not that friendly starting a new character up. In fact the whole levelling curve needs to be smoothed out, as there are some gaps you have trouble filling if you can't get a group... which is tricky in a game this old, as usually you'll only see guild groups levelling alts.

    Still, fingers crossed. My lifetime sub has more than paid off over the years!

  • cattypat #4 2 years ago

    I'd love to say Codemasters are one of the best British developers of old but these days it simply isn't true. With the flawed experience of high advertised Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, to the americanization of Colin Mcrae Rallying into the Dirt series. Not to mention the gameplay disaster of Clive Barker’s Jericho. Their licensed sports games however are pretty good, but I stopped playing sports games a long ago (psst, they're all the same!).

  • hiddenranbir #5 2 years ago

    The only thing I'm worried about Codemaste's being shifted out is the status of my life sub.
    Edited by hiddenranbir at 23/04/10 @ 10:59

  • Dizzy #6 2 years ago

    Pity

  • Gurgeh #7 2 years ago

    You can play DDO for free on the USA servers from anywhere. I doubt you'll ever be able to transfer characters to Europe, but then I doubt it will ever be free in Europe.

    I don't think WB intention is to pour money into LOTRO. They are purchasing game companies with links to WB titles like LOTR and Batman. Rumour has it they want Turbine to make a Harry Potter MMO.

  • tenebrae #8 2 years ago

    Yes, but what do Codies' new overlords have to say about it? Let's not forget that CM is these days a 50% Indian company.

  • jambo74 #9 2 years ago

    Whocaresmasters.