Turbine To Publish Middle Earth Online

John Callaham writes "Computer Games Magazine got a chance to chat briefly on the phone today with Turbine's Vijay Lakshman to get a few more tidbits on their plans for the MMO title Middle Earth Online now that they are developing and publishing the long awaited game." From the article: "Acquiring the license to produce massively multiplayer online games based on Tolkien's world-renowned The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books is the latest in a series of aggressive business moves by Turbine - the once small contractor that transformed itself into the largest privately-held online game studio in North America."

Comments

Alright!

[sgant]

Just what the word needs, another MMORPG.

I don't think anyone will be happy until everything ends up as a MMORPG. Still waiting for the announcements for:

1. Pokemon Online
2. The A-Team Online
3. Battlestar Galatica Online
4. Cheers Online
5. Zero Wing Online
6. America Online Online
7. World of Frank Stallone
8. Bible World Online
9. Evercowboyneil
10. Final Everworld of Ultima Warcraft's Lineage

Of course, the list could go on...and on a on.

Re:Alright!

[tuxmaster]

I think amarica online online would be too slow. Anyways enough with the kidding I do not get the point for all these RPG's. Do company's think that we have nothing better to do then play games. I know I have lots better that I could do then play a RPG.

Re:Alright!

[Dehumanizer]

I'd buy Zero Wing online in a second. Especially if everyone talked like CATS. :)

Re:Alright!

[gl4ss]

well, if it would be something else than grinding for a change then it would be a welcome addition.

if it just was a game that wasn't poor on single player standards would be a good start though.

Re:Alright!

[Anonymous Coward]

Like read and post here on the games section????!!??

Re:Alright!

[Anonymous Coward]

World of Frank Stallone!!! *fanbois squeal*

Re:Alright!

[ElVaquero]

I dunno, I'd probably play Cheers Online. I'd love to grind up my lvl-53 Washed Up Athlete.

Re:Alright!

[KDR_11k]

I'd say Pokemon Online would be the fastest selling MMO in history when it is released. No matter how many times people believe that fad died Pokemon still remains in the charts.

Re:Alright!

[PhoenixOne]

I would mod you funny, but half of those titles are in the works already...

Re:Alright!

[blueZhift]

Oh yeah! Let's get the kids hooked on MMORPGs as early as possible! LOL That said, I think I'd love Pokemon Online, especially if you get a chance to kick Pichachu's butt at some point!

Re:Alright!

[sgant]

World of Frank Stallone is going to kick ASS!

Two Huge Names.

[xMonkey]

So Turbine is Now doing both

Dungeons and Dragons Online (2005 release)
AND
Middle Earth Online (2006 release)

Those are two really big names. And is all Turbine got to show for past work is Asheron's Call (1 and 2)???

Well Maybe they can pull it off. Maybe all they need is an already established IP like D&D or Middle Earth. *shrugs*

To be fair I've never played Asheron's Call (1 or 2) but I never really heard anything good about them. So i guess I should download the free trial for AC2 and see how it is.

Re:Two Huge Names.

[Dehumanizer]

AC1 was a brilliant game; AC2 was a disappointment. However, AC1's graphics suck - some might say they already sucked when it was released. But I haven't had as much fun with any other MMORPG, and I've played most of them.

Re:Two Huge Names.

[$1uck]

I think I recall reading somewhere that both games will be based on a lot of the same code (running on the same "engine").

If they offer some sort of access pass like sony does, I may have to make another foray into mmorpg.

Re:Two Huge Names.

[Anonymous Coward]

One of the people I now play FFXI alongside used to play the original Asheron's Call, a few years ago. He basically thought that of the original three MMORPGs to "make it big", namely Ultima Online, Everquest and Asheron's Call, AC had the best game mechanics and offered the most interesting long-term prospect. However, he also admitted that, from a technical standpoint, it was pretty hideous even by the standard of MMORPGs and that it didn't have many of the advanced infrastructure features, such as search and trading functions, that FFXI has (mind you, nor does WoW).

The sequel, on the other hand, was apparently pretty dire and most of the established Asheron's Call community pretty much bypassed it. A lot of the players of the original game resented it and felt that it had resulted in a lack of investment in the original, which had more potential for development.

Re:Two Huge Names.

[birder]

Isn't Sony Online publishing AC1 & 2 now?

Re:Two Huge Names.

[Golias]

Bah!

I'm sticking with WoW, and here's 90% of the reason why (from the official FAQ):

Will MEO be released for the Mac / Xbox / Playstation / Gamecube?
MEO is currently only in development for Windows-based PC platforms.

True, not many of my gaming friends are Mac heads, true. Serious hard-core gamers almost all use Windows... but if my Mac friends and my PC friends can't all game together on the same server, none of us are going to bother with it. Blizzard understood this, as they have with nearly all of their multi-player games, and look at the way they dominate whatever market they enter (RTS, RPG, MMORPG...) I'm surprised so few other gaming companies have come to this realization.

Re:Two Huge Names.

[Anonymous Coward]

They're distributing, not publishing.

Re:Two Huge Names.

[Ymiris]

Actually AC2 was a great game, but had no player base, it seemed to keep getting new people as the old ones left, so it stayed in a horrible circle of death! :) The game itself was very fun and addicting. I played WoW up until just last month, where I stopped my subscription, mainly because honestly the game gets old very, very fast and my poor warlock had no ability to keep up with rogue #596868345860 Not to mention any game that comes out and starts nerfing right away is just screaming of problems.

If ya can't beat 'em.......

[Wyrmw00d]

We all know that many people don't like paying per month for any type of game. I've never subscribed to any mmo myself for that same reason. I was boycotting,if you will, the monthly fee on games. At this point in time however, the point is moot. MMO's are a gold mine for developers and they will continue to exist whether I shell out my little $14.95 a month or not. So you might as well get a piece of the pie and play one if it appeals to you. This Middle Earth MMO sounds like something my girlfriend and I would enjoy and we'll probably sign up. It's not like we are going to waste away hundreds of dollars over the next several years on monthly fee's. As with any game, we'll play it for a few months and then switch off to another game.

Re:If ya can't beat 'em.......

[superpulpsicle]

I got a problem with the pricing too. For example, $9 a month on Rhapsody music service gets you almost all music for all artists.

$14 a month only lets you play 1 game. Sony has come up with a $20 for all Everquest etc games under the same Sony roof. How about all MMORPG companies get together and come up with a $15 fee play ANY game you want service.

How much longer until

[Anonymous Coward]

MMORPG Online: An entire online world of developers, creating MMORPGs for whatever franchise seems popular at the moment!

Turbine isnt..

[Zeussy]

developing D&D on they're own if you read they're site.

Turbine, in conjunction with Wizards of the Coast and Atari, is currently hard at work bringing the massively multiplayer version of Dungeons & Dragons® to life.

To me sounds like they are just a well known front. Atari arn't known for MMO's, Turbine is.

Here

[schild]

We've been discussing this at f13 after Calandryll posted the news. Without going into the design of MEO, he's answered most of the questions on the scope of the publishing rights.

Is this a case of Vivendi bailing?

[Shivetya]

I haven't heard too many cases of a publisher ditching a sure thing. So is MEO in trouble? It has been pushed back how many times? Now we have a "2006" release date.

It sounds more and more that MEO has had its premise rewritten more than once. I would guess they could not nail down a time period to play in that doesn't result in players knowing that regardless what you do history is written.

The game is already irrevelvant as the movies are more than a year old. By the time the game comes out we will have had over 2 years since the movies. Do they really think that the name will bring enough people into the genre? Star Wars Online did well but everywhere you turn there is something Star Wars. The movies are current and there are many console and PC games to keep interest up. What does MEO have to gen interest?

I think Vivendi didn't like the progress Turbine is making and didn't want to get into a no win position. I wonder if Vivendi would have forced the game out early if they had kept the publishing rights as Atari did to Artifact Entertainment with Horizons.

Re:Is this a case of Vivendi bailing?

[zerkon]

maybe peter jackson will push up filming of the hobbit. It'll be good for all involved

Re:Is this a case of Vivendi bailing?

[Golias]

Star Wars Online did well but everywhere you turn there is something Star Wars. The movies are current and there are many console and PC games to keep interest up.

What are you talking about?

Everybody knows that the last Star Wars movie came out in 1983. It wasn't as good as the first two, but it had its moments.

LALALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!

Re:Is this a case of Vivendi bailing?

[Ymiris]

haha Golias owns! That was funny thanks :) Now back to the post, whether or not people want to admit it, this is the "Star wars" of this generation, it will not be going anywhere anytime soon. I have played a few of the ME rts games and I was impressed and happy, I mean I got to kill the good guys!

Between the lines...

[white1827]

My guess is that Vivendi has no confidence in their ability to make publishing the game worth their while. Turbine has to be hurting. Neither AC game has strong subscription numbers. They have two development projects that aren't stirring up much interest in the fan community. Heck, people have been declaring MEO vaporware for a few months now. They can't even work up the strength to publish their established properties expansions.

"We did not buy the rights for nothing."

[Pond823]

Yeah but you couldn't get the rights to the Silmarillion could you? So the game with get stuck in the 4th age also know as the really boring one.

Re:"We did not buy the rights for nothing."

[Anonymous Coward]

i bet they are very sorry they didnt consult with every lame ass elitist tolkien geek on the face of the earth who just look for things to complain about.

It would require promotional tie-ins to work

[Shivetya]

You jump around on various fan boards for MEO and they are all nearly dead or on life support. There has been very little news of late that means anything.

This announcement isn't what I would label as "good news". Its more like "uh news", as in - whats going on here.

Still any hobbit movie would not be out till 07 or even 08 which would be to late to lift this game. Worse Turbine doesn't have a good track record or reputation with the gamers. Inside the industry they might but gamers shun them in general.

What is even more interesting is that their older titles are being distributed by SOE. I figure this is because turbine doesn't have the name presence at the retail level to get their games carried for a good rate. What are they planning on doing with MEO then?

I suppose the important question should be...

[Dutchmaan]

"Can I play this without having to quit World of Warcraft?" ..because I'm beginning to think I would actually die if I was unhooked!!!

Marketing Spin

[MBraynard]

the once small contractor that transformed itself into the largest privately-held online game studio in North America

Let me get this straight - you have two games each with a tiny player base - almost no one is on AC2 and the AC playerbase is dwindling by the day - you maybe rank 12 among MMORPGs on the big chart when you combine your numbers?

Launch the AC/AC2 expansions well, and luanch the D&D and LotR games well, and then maybe you can make a claim like this.

Re:Marketing Spin

[Anonymous Coward]

Let me get this straight - you have two games each with a tiny player base - almost no one is on AC2 and the AC playerbase is dwindling by the day - you maybe rank 12 among MMORPGs on the big chart when you combine your numbers?

Launch the AC/AC2 expansions well, and luanch the D&D and LotR games well, and then maybe you can make a claim like this.

You do not get it. AC1 was a hit back when it was a choice between EQ, UO, and AC1. It may have not had the numbers of the other two games, but with the amount of worlds that were available, you had something like 2400 people on them. AC2 is a bit different since that was a pure microsoft deal.

Re:Marketing Spin

[MBraynard]

I was there. Early beta, late beta, public beta.

AC1 was a hit? A hit would be defined by numbers.

Also, this period when it was a "hit" was the period they refer to as being when they were just a "small contractor." The period where they refer to themselves as a big-shot publisher/developer was AFTER they took both titles over and the populations had atrophed to an embarassement.

Further, AC2 was very much a "Turbine Deal" - pure MS deal please? The entire development team was lead by the people who made AC. And if it was a "pure MS deal" then why did Turbine buy it back and why does it continue to brag about how 'visually stunning' the game is?

LOTR is not our generations Star Wars

[Shivetya]

While the movies were amazing they did not have the effect on culture that Star Wars did when it came out.

As for MEO, I was under the impression there wasn't any PvP. Has this changed?

Re:LOTR is not our generations Star Wars

[Ymiris]

"While the movies were amazing they did not have the effect on culture that Star Wars did when it came out." This is a matter of opinion, and something I would be happy to debate, I was fairly young when star wars came out, and I have to tell you I was never a fan(please don't hurt me), and what I saw then for star wars is what I see now for LOTR. Please show me differences that star wars made on the culture then, that LOTR didn't today. there is indeed a multiplayer, I have yet to try it though. I just like playing the evil campaign! :)

Re:LOTR is not our generations Star Wars

[Shivetya]

First and foremost was the until Star Wars came out Science Fiction was not considered a viable movie format. Mostly it was ridiculed or left to low budget areas. 2001 should not be counted as its effect was totally different.

Star Wars also opened up the door to expanding the influence that movies can have on popular culture. It also showed that there were many more ways to profit from a movie that by just the film itself (good or bad). They is that it made Science Fiction an acceptable format, Fantasy took a lot longer.

Re:LOTR is not our generations Star Wars

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd argue that until LotR came out, fantasy wasn't considered a viable movie format. Yes, you have your Willows, your LadyHawkes, and your Excaliburs, but none of those had a true impact like LotR had.

I'll agree with you on the second point, although I'm not sure it's a good thing, however.

Re:LOTR is not our generations Star Wars

[Ymiris]

Well I will take that as all valid and take back my earlier statement :) LOTR could not do such a thing because, well for obvious reasons. I still stand by it being an ICON of this generation, but nothing like what star wars was for that generation :)

MMO Perfect for Tolkien's World

[Delilah Jones]

I think it's a great idea for the world that Tolkien created.

I mean, you read the books and you realize that he left a TON of room for storyline improvisation and future plots and subplots.

He'll mention the name of somebody or cryptically reference some old story that leaves you thinking, "Dang man! Where can I get THAT book?!"

And I'm not necessarily talking about the Silmarillion and stuff--but actually user-contributed stuff. The possibilities are endless--the only limits really being one's own imagination (kind of like D&D).

I'd wonder, however, which time period in the course of the LOTR storyline is the MMO environment to take place? Just somewhere arbitrarily in the middle?

I think that if it's done well, it could be gnarly! Like exploring the land north of the Misty Mountains, with the 'hobgoblins' he mentions in The Hobbit. Or the region known as Angmar (as in the Witch King).

Sounds great!

Re:MMO Perfect for Tolkien's World

[Lord_Dweomer]

This is not a great idea for Tolkien's world. Well, I half take that back. I mean, what more perfect setting for an MMORPG than THE original fantasy world. However, it suffers from the same problem as the Star Wars universe. Everybody wants to be an important character, and nobody can be one.

City of Heroes handles this fairly well with their massive customization options, but in reality, it gets old seeing the same power sets over and over, and it gets old seeing the same power particle effects over and over. If only you could customize that.

Leaked Screenshots

[Anonymous Coward]

Last year Turbine showed a preview video with in-game pictures of this at the Asheron's Call player luncheon. If you look hard enough I am sure you will be able to track down some of the grainy photos of it that were leaked.

Re:Pokemon online

[ZzzzSleep]

Quoth blueZhift:

I think I'd love Pokemon Online, especially if you get a chance to kick Pichachu's butt at some point!

Isn't Neopets slowly turning into Pokemon-esque MMO?

They are still...RPGs

[R3N3D]

Exactly how many roles do these gaming companies expect people to play? After all this, I'll probably end up with multiple personality syndrome. Ah..my dream to be smeagol and gollum are about to be fulfilled.