| The Lord of the Rings Online | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Standing Stone Games[a] |
| Publisher(s) | Daybreak Game Company[b] |
| Platform(s) |
|
| Release | April 24, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
The Lord of the Rings Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Microsoft Windows and previously for OS X, set in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, taking place during the time period of The Lord of the Rings. Originally developed by Turbine, the game launched in North America, Australia, Japan, and Europe in April 2007 as The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Players could create characters of four races and seven classes and adventure throughout the region of Eriador. In November 2008, the Mines of Moria expansion was released, adding the region of Moria and two new playable classes. It was followed by the Siege of Mirkwood in December 2009. In 2010 the game underwent a shift from its original subscription-based payment model to being free-to-play.
The game saw continued development, alternating between paid expansions and free updates, which added new content in the regions of Isengard, Rohan and Gondor. In late 2016 the publishing of the game was transferred from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment to Daybreak Game Company, with development being taken over by Standing Stone Games, made up of former Turbine staff.[1] The game development continued and in 2017 the Mordor expansion was released, bringing the main storyline to a close. The game then shifted to portraying the aftermath of the downfall of Sauron as well as telling the "Tales of Yore" which chronologically precede the main story, with the Minas Morgul expansion released in 2019[2] and the Fate of Gundabad expansion released in 2021.[3]
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- ^ Bree Royce (December 19, 2016). "Turbine Spins Lord of the Rings Online and DDO Teams Out to New Studio, Using Daybreak As Publisher". Massively Overpowered. Archived from the original on December 10, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ^ Michael (February 26, 2019). "Lord of the Rings Online Expansion to Include Minas Morgul and Shelob". MMOCourt. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
- ^ Cordovan (November 10, 2021). "The Fate of Gundabad has arrived!". Standing Stone Games. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.