Lord of The Rings Online To Become Free-To-Play

04 Jun 2010 at 14:58:21 by James Chalmers

Warner Bros. has revealed Lord of the Rings Online will be re-launched as a free-to-play MMO.

The move will occur this autumn in North America and Europe and is set to follow the model that Turbine used when Dungeons and Dragons Online became free-to-play last September.

Gamers will be able to to play the original game free of charge and level their character up to level 50, while players who want to experience more can choose what to purchase from the LOTRO store.

Inside the store there will be the content included in the latest two expansions, Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood, along with the option to purchase extra character slots, premium items and character customisations.

There will also be an option to become a LOTRO VIP which will require a one off payment and then give the player unlimited access to all premium content along with five character slots, a shared bank slot and priority server access. Warner Bros hasn't announced any price for the VIP system yet, stay tuned to IncGamers for more details.

Warner Bros. purchased Turbine earlier this year which included the rights to all Lord of the Rings games.

"Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment is bringing quality games based on The Lord of the Rings to multiple platforms, and the franchise's expansive adventure story lends itself perfectly for LOTRO free-to-play, giving a wide range of players the opportunity to experience the game," said Jeff Junge of Warner Bros.

People interested in beta testing the free-to-play model can sign up with their interest over on the official site.

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