Former Turbine CEO Jeffrey Anderson has announced the formation of a new gaming company aimed at bridging the worlds of fantasy sports and casual gaming, Play Hard Sports Incorporated. From the Boston Globe:

As chief executive of Westwood videogame company Turbine Inc., Jeffrey Anderson helped turn the fantasy world of J.R.R. Tolkien into a popular online game. Now Anderson's launching a new gaming venture that'll cater to a different kind of fantasy - the athletic kind.

Anderson, who stepped down as Turbine's chief executive in October, is launching Play Hard Sports Inc., a Foxborough company that plans to create an online haven for sports game fans. Bolstered by $5 million in funding from venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates, Play Hard will offer easy-to-play "casual" sports games for desktop computers.

"I think it's a great thing to have this started here, the best sports city in America," said Anderson. Play Hard will run fantasy sports leagues and offer news feeds about events in the real world of sports. But its main feature will be online sports simulations that combine the simplicity of casual games with the deeper character development of online games like Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online.

Read more on the Globe site.