Asherons Call: It's Official - Turbine Developing Middle-Earth Online

After a brief snippet in Computer Games Magazine last week had everyone wondering if it was true or not, Vivendi Universal Games have issued a press release confirming that Turbine, the creator of Asheron's Call and Asheron's Call 2: Fallen Kings, is producing a MMG set in the world of J.R.R. Tolkein.

[I][B]VIVENDI UNIVERSAL GAMES REVEALS MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE DETAILS AND SIGNS DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT WITH TURBINE ENTERTAINMENT[/b]

LOS ANGELES, Calif., December 9, 2002 -Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) has announced it has entered into a production agreement with Turbine Entertainment Software Corp. to develop "Middle-earth Online," a massively multiplayer (MMP) game to launch in 2004. The game will be developed as part of VU Games' long-term agreement with Tolkien Enterprises to create interactive entertainment based on J.R.R. Tolkien's epic novel "The Lord of the Rings."

The 3D role-playing game (RPG) will immerse players in the Middle-earth world where they will choose their identities from a cast of archetypal Tolkien characters, form kinships, build race-specific dwellings, explore the landscape, craft mithril swords and perform myriad other activities to bring the world-renowned fantasy realm to life.

"We are extremely excited to be working with a world-class developer like Turbine. Their track record and proven expertise in building, launching, and supporting massively multiplayer games is exceptional, making them the right partner for a franchise as beloved and well-known as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings," said Vijay Lakshman, vice president of production, online games, of Vivendi Universal Games. "Together, our goal will be to bring the vision and spirit of the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien to life in 'Middle-earth Online.'"[/i]

Thanks to Angelis for the heads up on this!

And all you Tolkein fans, don't forget that you can pre-order your "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" movie tickets online to avoid the rush in just over one week!