Turbine Extends Tolkien Licensing Deal

Turbine has announced the extension of its MMOG licensing deal with Tolkien Enterprises to 2014, with an option to extend the arrangement all the way to 2017.

Turbine, developer of the popular MMOG Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, will hold the rights to continue development of MMOG titles based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, as well as The Hobbit. "We're thrilled with the global success of The Lord of the Rings Online since its launch in 2007," said Turbine CEO Jim Crowley. "With the recent announcement of what are sure to be two blockbuster films based on The Hobbit and a sequel, we expect the success of the license and our relationship with Tolkien Enterprises to grow for years to come."

Albert M. Bendich of Tolkien Enterprises added, "We have had a wonderful working relationship with Turbine over the past several years. We look forward to our continuing success with Turbine as it pushes the envelope for compelling online entertainment and gameplay to bring the compelling characters of Middle Earth to life for Tolkien fans around the world."

Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angar is one of the most popular recent MMOGs not named World of Warcraft, selected by GameSpy as "PC MMOG of the Year" for 2007. Since its founding in 1994, Turbine has also published Dungeons & Dragons Online, Asheron's Call and the canceled Asheron's Call 2.