Turbine, the developers of the incredibly popular Lord Of The Rings Online, recently released a post on their game forums that the license for the game has been renewed until at least 2017. Community Manager Rick Heaton wrote:

“We plan to support LOTRO for many years to come,.I really want to be as clear as possible on this subject to avoid any further confusion or misunderstanding. The license was renewed. We have an agreement that runs through 2017.”

Apparently there had been quite a bit of worry among Lord Of the Rings Online fans when Turbine announced that they had no plans to develop new in-game content such as missions or dungeons, and the only improvements that would likely be seen would be done to pre-existing content.

However, the author of the release article has clarified that the comments were made relative to a specific period of time, and are not representative of Turbine’s goals on Lord Of The Rings Online in general. Odds are with this license renewal we can expect to see some new content.

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Warner Bros. Interactive announced a brand new expansion for Lord of the Rings Online. Adventurers will be heading to Helm’s Deep later this fall.

Here are a couple of details regarding the new expansions:

Once players reach level 10, they will be able to enlist with the Rohirrim to defend Helm’s Deep against Saruman’s army during the Battle of the Hornburg. Battle of the Hornburg is also known as the Battle for Helm’s Deep. Players will also be venturing into the plains of Rohan. Plains of Rohan are where adventurers will be on a lookout for new Riders to recruit for battle.

The level cap in this new expansion will be moving up from 85 to 95.

Stay tuned on GamingBolt for more details regarding the expansion. Do you still play and enjoy Lord of the Rings Online and does Helm’s Deep sound interesting to you? Let us know in the comments down below.

Speaking to GIBiz, a representative stated that, “As part of the continual review of our business operations and fluctuating market conditions, we have had to make reductions in our Turbine workforce. The group continues to remain an integral part of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.”

So while they won’t be going out of business just yet, it’s somewhat worrying that no matter where gaming industry professionals go, they’ll never find true job security. The gaming industry is turning into a very high-pressure environment where even the biggest AAA titles have failed to make returns, while mediocre titles like Resident Evil 6 thrive. Hopefully, Rolston’s new tenure will be long and prosperous despite these troubles.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced that their next The Lord of the Rings project, being developed by Turbine, Codemasters, is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) and is called The Lord of the Rings Online: Rise of Isengard. With enhancements to monster play, an increased level cap, the legendary region of Isengard open to exploration and much more, Rise of Isengard will be available for purchase in the LOTRO Store in the Fall of 2011.

Kate Paiz, Executive Producer of Lord of the Rings online, says, “2010 has been a year of unprecedented growth for The Lord of the Rings Online with our successful introduction of a free-to-play option for our players. This is going to be another outstanding year for the game as we progress on our journey toward Mordor and it all begins with our upcoming November update. The journey will carry through 2011 ending with our arrival in the epic region of Isengard where players will confront the raging war and shadow that has spread across Middle-earth.”

Here are some new features that will be featured in Rise of Isengard:

– Experience the Rise of Isengard – The Epic Story continues as the Grey Company makes its way south into Dunland, but troubles arise as their road takes them into lands where Dunlending forces, marshaled by the Wizard Saruman, prepare for war. The Rangers must seek new allies and face dangerous new foes, chief among them the traitor Saruman, whose web of intrigue threatens to endanger your quest, your friends, and your life.

– Increased Level Cap — Players will be able advance their characters up to level 70, gaining access to new traits, virtues, skills and class quests.

– Expanded Monster Play – LOTRO’s monster play system will get a major revamp including opening up the feature to all players, changes to monster player skills and advancement and a brand new region for players to battle for or against the forces of evil.

Warner Bros describes Lord of the Rings Online as follows: “LOTRO is the ultimate adventure. This award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most famous fantasy of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players can experience the world of Middle-earth for free!”

We will have more info for you soon, stay tuned.

Codemasters Online have announced today that Lord of the Rings Online is free to play in Europe.

“We are thrilled to finally be able to launch LOTRO as a free-to-play game and introduce the new store and updated content in Europe today. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our players for their patience. It is very much appreciated.” said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. “We anticipate the LOTRO’s new free-to-play model will significantly increase our customer base and we look forward to welcoming everyone to Middle-earth.”

Players can now download LOTRO at www.lotro.com and share the experience right away.