The Lord of the Rings Online 1st Anniversary Celebration

Turbine sent us over a press release announcing the return of a lifetime subscription plan and the addition of new content in celebration of The Lord of the Rings Online’s first anniversary.

TURBINE CELEBRATES THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAUNCH OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINEâ„¢

Month-Long Celebration Marks the Return of the $199 LOTRO Lifetime Subscription Plan

WESTWOOD, MA April 24, 2008 – Turbine, Inc. announced today a special promotion featuring limited time pricing offers and a series of in-game events to celebrate the first anniversary of The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢: Shadows of Angmarâ„¢ (LOTRO), the award-winning massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.

(It’s been an incredible year for LOTRO and Turbine) said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. (Winning the 2007 PC Game of the Year, being named 2007 MMO of the Year and the overwhelmingly positive response to the game from fans around the world has been a real validation of our vision*. Our anniversary celebration is a chance for us to take time to gather with our past and present players to enjoy everything that is special about Middle-earth and thank them for their wonderful support with some special in-game events and subscription options.)

The month-long celebration of the first anniversary of LOTRO includes:

– Launch of Book 13: Doom of the Last-king: Turbine’s fifth content update to LOTRO delivers the frosty new region of Forochel, a new Monster Player class plus a host of other enhancements that continue to make LOTRO one of the fastest growing games in the world!
– Welcome Back Celebration: Former subscribers are invited to come back to Middle-earth beginning May 8th for five days of free play! Experience the new content added since launch that has increased the size of the world by over 30% including new regions, player housing, the outfit system and a myriad of new raids and instances.
– Save Middle-earth and Win: During the anniversary celebration, monsters throughout Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated. Players can exchange these rare items for a special gift box that will reward the player with one of a variety of in-game items to aid them on their adventures in Middle-earth.
– Special Anniversary Pricing: For a limited time, Turbine is offering two new pricing plans for the 2007 PC Game of the Year and the 2007 MMO of the Year! Players can choose to become lifetime subscribers for $199 and never pay a monthly fee again. Players can also choose any multi-month plan (90-days or longer) and lock in a monthly price of $9.99 for as long as they maintain their new subscription plan. **

The Lord of the Rings Online is an award-winning massively multiplayer online role playing game that delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the picturesque surroundings of the Shire to the upcoming expansion to Moria, the most fearsome underground realm ever imagined, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. LOTRO is available for purchase at major retailers across North America and Europe. For more information or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com or www.lotro-europe.com.

About Turbine
Turbine, Inc. is the premier creator and operator of massive, persistent online worlds that foster powerful social gaming communities. Turbine has grown to become one of the largest privately-held online gaming studios in North America. Turbine has created some of the world’s most popular and award-winning online games, including The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢: Shadows of Angmarâ„¢, Dungeons & Dragons Online® and Asheron’s Call®. For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com.

About Tolkien Enterprises
The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture, legitimate stage, merchandising, and other rights in J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien Enterprises has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on Tolkien’s works for almost 30 years. Its headquarters are in Berkeley, California, and its website may be found at www.tolkien-ent.com.

* LOTRO was awarded the 2007 Golden Joystick Award for PC Game of the Year. LOTRO was also named the GameSpy 2007 MMO of the Year.

** Offers end on May 31, 2008 and are only available to players located in the U.S. and Canada only. Anniversary lifetime subscription and monthly subscription plans are available only for so long as LOTRO is in service and account is continuously maintained without termination for any reason. All subscription payments are non-refundable. All subscription plans will automatically renew if a player does do not unsubscribe before plan’s renewal date Subscription prices are in U.S. dollars and do not include local connection and telephone charges. See myaccount.turbine.com for terms and conditions.

(The Lord of the Rings Online,) (Shadows of Angmar,) (Middle-earth,) (Mines of Moria,) (The Lord of the Rings,) and the names of the characters, events, items and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Tolkien Enterprises under license to Turbine, Inc. Turbine and the Turbine logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Turbine, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.