"It took just 10 days for video game maker Funcom Inc. to sell 400,000 copies of its newest title, Age of Conan, last month, making it one of the year's most successful debuts.

But for now, you can't play it on popular living-room consoles like Sony's PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360, or Nintendo Wii. Age of Conan is available only on desktop computers that use Microsoft's Windows operating system. PC gamers say its success helps debunk a popular belief: That console games have crushed t..."

"Turbine, Inc. today announced that it has raised $40 million in equity financing. Time Warner Inc. (NYSE: TWX) and GGV Capital, a leader in expansion-stage venture capital investments in the U.S. and China, led the investment along with existing investors, Highland Capital Partners, Polaris Venture Partners, Tudor Ventures and Columbia Capital. The investment will be used to further accelerate Turbine’s growth as a global leader in online entertainment..."

"Ex-subscribers to Lord of the Rings Online have been granted a free chance to revisit the MMO and explore updates made to the game since launch.

The "Welcome back to LotRO" campaign, as the free experience is called, runs from May 8 through to May 12 enabling you to blow the dust off your old character(s) and get some play time in.

Naturally if you're so blown away by how the game's changed since you hung up your spurs, you can start paying a monthly subscription fee to play again."

"Official Release:
Turbine, Inc. and Codemasters Online today unveiled Volume II of The Lord of the Rings Online™, the first retail expansion for the award-winning massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG). Announced in Birmingham, the childhood home of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria™ will expand the online world of Middle-earth to let players explore the ancient underground cities of the dwarves, battle epic characters in the depths...
(Full relea..."

"Official Release:
Turbine, Inc. announced today that in the wake of the global success of The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, named the 2007 PC Game of the Year*, it has reached an agreement with Tolkien Enterprises to extend it’s license to develop Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORPG) based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien to 2014...
(Full release at source)"

"Official Release:
WESTWOOD, MA – January 7, 2008 – Turbine, Inc. announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ has become the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) to support the Microsoft DirectX® 10 API and NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors for stunningly realistic imagery. The Lord of the Rings Online, named the 2007 PC Game of the Year 2007, now offers gamers with DirectX 10 graphics cards the most immersive online experience available to..."

"Our 2007 E3 lineup truly reflects our product strategy to develop top quality titles in a wide range of genres across all major platforms," said David F. Zucker, president and CEO, Midway. "With exciting next generation games such as Stranglehold and proven brands like Mortal Kombat, along with games for the younger market and handhelds, this is Midway's most diverse and strongest line up yet"

"One thing that doesn't need changing, though, are Lord of the Rings Online's simply stunning graphics. Years from now the choice to go photo-realistic will make the game look horribly dated, all while World of Warcraft's stylized vision remains fresh and crisp. In the meantime, LOTRO offers a simply jaw-droppingly beautiful online experience. EverQuest 2's attempt at realistic graphics in an online game have resulted in goofily appealing characters, but they don't quite capture what I think t..."

Lord of the Rings Online has only been out for at least a month and already Turbine has an expansion planned for gamers; The Shores of Evendim.

The expansion is planned to offer:

• Evendim, a new and larger area to explore
  
• More loot and artifacts to obtain
  
• 60 new quests
  
• The first raid instance
  
• Also, a Dragon and an Ent
  

Here's the kicker, Turbine is going to be offering it for free.

"WESTWOOD, MA and CHICAGO, IL – May 10, 2007 - Today, Turbine, Inc., Midway Games Inc. and Codemasters Online Gaming announced that The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ is the #1 selling PC title across North America and Europe based on the most recent industry reports. The Lord of the Rings Online has outsold all other PC games across North America, Germany, United Kingdom and France according to data from NPD (NA), Chart-Track (UK), GfK (France) and Media Control (Germany).

..."

""The release of The Lord of the Rings Online marks a momentous occasion for MMO gamers and Tolkien fans around the world," said Jeff Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. "Countless adventures await gamers eager to experience Middle-earth in an entirely new way and we're confident that once they’ve visited this epic world, they'll never want to leave."

"The Lord of the Rings franchise, with its incredibly rich history and extensive fan base, lends itself perfectly to the MMO genre,"..."

"We've previewed the Minstrel, Burglar, and Champion classes so far, but what about the rest of The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar's combatants? While we've yet to touch the Guardian, LotRO's tank class, and the Lore-Master, a ranged spell blaster, we have managed to build a Hunter to 15 and a Captain to 10. Playing around with these types gave us some experience with pets for the first time, a prominent feature of the Captain. At this point we've logged a substantial number of ho..."

"Those waiting in line will have a chance to win t-shirts, signed posters, game subscription codes and various bits of other phat lootz swag. Here's where the cosplayers should start getting giddy: Three fans wearing the best Lord of the Rings-themed costume will win a special prize. Also, various members of the development team will be at the locations answering questions about the game.

All events are from 11 PM to Midnight on Monday, April 23 at:

Boston - Prudential Mall
Chicago - ..."

"We have experienced unbelievable anticipation and support for The Lord of the Rings Online throughout the development process," said Jeff Anderson, President and CEO of Turbine Inc. "We knew that the game had to provide a terrific experience to the millions of Tolkien fans and we wanted to enhance that experience even more with this Special Edition."

"We worked closely with Turbine to create content for the Special Edition that would appeal to even the most dedicated fans of The Lord of th..."

With the launch of the game nearing, here's a quick look at the Official Trailer of the game...

The beta will be open and free for anyone to play till launch (April 24th)