Middle-Earth Online Interview

GameSpy has published an interview with Turbine’s Jason Wonacott, in which the director of corporate communications their recent acquisition of MMORPG rights to both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Here’s a bit to get you started:

Q: Have recent massively multiplayer game releases impacted the design of the game any?

A: We are confident in the unique strength and depth of the Tolkien material and won’t try to mask that great content by mimicking the competition or simply trying to “fit in.” Building on the elasticity of Turbine’s expertise and third-generation technology, we are focused on creating a game that will satisfy traditional MMORPG fans by preserving familiar experiences, while the same time producing gameplay and an overall experience unlike any they have seen before. The Lord of the Rings encompasses a very, very rich and extraordinary world, and we are doing everything we can to make the game similarly unique.

All of that said, we are encouraged by the success of games like World of Warcraft. It confirms our confidence in the growing MMOG market and validates some design assumptions we had already been working with to make sure our game appeals to the widest audience possible.