TURBINE TAKES OVER MMP LICENSE FOR GAMES BASED ON J.R.R. TOLKIEN WORKS

Turbine Acquires License from Tolkien Enterprises and Becomes the Exclusive Online Worlds Publisher

WESTWOOD, Mass. � March 22, 2005 � Turbine, Inc., a leading publisher of online subscription entertainment, announced today that it has finalized a deal with Tolkien Enterprises and Vivendi Universal Games (VU Games) that grants Turbine the exclusive right to develop and publish massively multiplayer online worlds based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit literary works. As part of the agreement, Turbine will own all of the game assets to the upcoming, highly anticipated massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) The Lord of the Rings � : Middle-Earth � Online. All publishing responsibilities previously assumed by VU Games for the online license have been transitioned to Turbine effective immediately.

�As the exclusive publisher, Turbine looks forward to bringing J.R.R. Tolkien�s vibrant worlds to online gamers around the globe,� said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO, Turbine, Inc. �Turbine has been instrumental in the direction and production of Middle-Earth Online , its service and the community since day one. Together with Tolkien Enterprises, we intend to produce the best possible representation of these outstanding literary works and ensure a long and exciting future for Middle-Earth Online .�

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. Turbine now directly owns or holds significant interest in each of the games and services that it produces. The company purchased the Asheron�s Call � franchise from Microsoft in early 2004 and is building out the first and only MMORPG based on the iconic fantasy franchise Dungeons & Dragons � , which Turbine is self-funding.

�We are pleased to be working with Turbine,� said Albert M. Bendich, Executive Vice President of The Saul Zaentz Company, which does business as Tolkien Enterprises. �We are confident that, under Turbine�s development, Middle-Earth Online will faithfully bring-to-life the realms of Middle-earth for Tolkien fans everywhere to explore and enjoy.�

With their new relationship, Turbine and Tolkien Enterprises are committed to doing what's best for Middle-Earth Online and the community (www.middle-earthonline.com), which has already swelled to about 100,000 registered fans. As a result of this commitment, Turbine�s production team is considering changes to make the game even better than before. Turbine will launch Middle-Earth Online in 2006. Specific details and dates regarding the game�s development will be announced in the near future.

Turbine also is currently in negotiations with a few key strategic partners for a worldwide launch, including China, Japan, Korea, Europe and the U.S.


About Turbine, Inc.

Turbine, Inc. is a premier producer, publisher and operator of online subscription entertainment and is headquartered in Westwood,
Mass. With studios on two coasts, the Company is the largest privately held online games company in North America. Turbine�s catalogue includes some of the most famous online entertainment brands, including Asheron�s Call� , Dungeons & Dragons� Online and The Lord of the Rings� : Middle-Earth Online. For more information on Turbine and its 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 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 .

The Vault Network and the hard working staff of Camelot Vault are pleased to present the newly redesigned Camelot Vault! With this new updated design and layout comes the latest in web technology to bring the site into the future.

The Camelot Vault staff is poised and ready to bring even more dedication in delivering the community the latest news, game information, columns, fan fiction, discussions, and so much more for Mythic Entertainment's Dark Age of Camelot. So make sure you drop by and check out the new site here.

On Saturday, August 7, 2004 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, come out and meet the Turbine staffers and other fans like yourself at Turbine Nation 2004!!!

Registration is now open. For more information check out the Turbine Nation 2004 site.

The MEO Official Site has added to the Ered Luin portion of their World section with a lovely screenshot of the hall of Thorin Oakenshield!

Check out the picture of Thorin's Hall now.

Turbine has updated the Middle-Earth Online Official Website with more additions to their World and Monsters sections.

Read of the ferocious Corrupt Bears of Mordor.

The ancient Huorn of the Old Forrest was added to the Bree-land World section. See a screenshot description of the Old Man Willow.

This week's MeoSource Q&A; with Chris Taylor asks if there will be Direct Damage Spells in Middle Earth Online.

Check out what Chris has to say here.

Last week Vivendi announced that Middle Earth Online would be delayed into 2005. Gamespy tracked down Chris Taylor to ask a few questions about the delay and the other issues surrounding the decision.

Read Gamespy's interview with Chris here.

The Middle Earth Online Team has opened a discussion thread on their Official Forums regarding the delay of MEO's launch date to sometime in 2005.

Read and discuss the topic on the official forums here.

Gamespot reports that VU Games has decided to delay Middle Earth Online's launch until sometime in 2005 in order to concentrate on fleshing out the game and fine tuning it. There will be no floor demo of MEO at E3.

Read Gamespot's MEO delayed release report.

This week MeoSource.com readers ask Chris Taylor if there will be gnomes in Middle Earth Online.

Find out what Chris has to say here!

The folks at TotalVideoGames have a new preview of MEO up complete with a series of screenshots:

Tired of MMORPGs, Vivendi-Universal breaks the mould and returns to the source of all inspiration...

With all the media coverage on Lord of The Rings it is interesting to note that Vivendi has Middle Earth Online, their epic MMORPG, still being created which currently features four playable races (Man, Hobbits, Dwarves and Elves) with each race having multiple classes, and their own path.

The official game is based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and players will adventure alone or in groups and join thousands of players online in the massive world that is Middle-earth.

You can find the whole article here.

Teos, the lead quest designer on MEO posted the latest dev diary to the official site over the weekend talking about the ways in which quests can be implented in MMORPGs:

As a gamer, I had perceived many conventions in games. As a designer, I have learned that there are no conventions (tendencies and habits to be sure, but no true conventions if you look hard enough). No two games do things exactly the same way because no two games are exactly the same, or have the same needs. As such, evaluating any feature or decision outside the context of the game you find it in has little value; what works great in one game may be clumsy in another. Great games, I have noticed, make individual decisions based on what is best for their game.

One of MEO�s big questions was how to get people to the content. MMOs are, by definition, massive worlds with lots to do and, generally, very little direction, giving players an unprecedented amount of freedom in their play experience. Single player games, in stark contrast, tend to usher you from one thing to the next with varying degrees of linearity along the path they set before you, often avoiding the possibility of players not knowing what to do next. These two opposing philosophies and many assorted combinations thereof have worked successfully on many games. The quest team is on a mission to figure out what approach will work best for MEO.

You can find the whole diary here. Teos also took time out to address some of the comments on the diary on the official forums, you can find his response here.

Off the back of today's news that Turbine have opened their new office in LA Gamespot took the opportunity to catch up with the new sites head man Jason Bell:

GameSpot spoke with Bell shortly before today's news was announced and asked him to explain how the new operation fits into Turbine's plans of growth, not just in the North American market, but on a global scale.

GameSpot: How much of the new west coast facility will be devoted to game development?

Jason Bell: In cooperation with Turbine/Boston, we'll be working on some development projects. We've already talked generally about doing an expansion pack for [the original] Asheron's Call and that's probably what we're going to be focusing on out here. It's going to be a small studio for the first year. We're not going to have a huge group of developers. We'll be focusing our efforts on designing and developing an expansion pack with external staff as well. The leads will be in the L.A. studio.

You can find the whole interview here.

News today that Turbine have opened their new west coast offices:

TURBINE POWERS OPEN NEW WEST COAST STUDIO, INDUSTRY VETERAN JASON BELL AT THE HELM

SANTA MONICA, Calif. � Feb. 18, 2004 �Turbine Entertainment Software Corp., a premier provider of online subscription entertainment, today announced it has opened a new studio in Santa Monica, Calif. The new facility will better position Turbine to work with important west coast publishers and Asia/Pacific business development.

The studio offers a strategic foothold in the Southern Californian technology corridor, one of the fastest growing and most competitive regions for the gaming industry. Likewise, it provides the company with even greater depth to develop its portfolio, which includes the award winning titles Asheron�s Call� and Asheron�s Call 2: Fallen Kings�, as well as its new online titles based on Tolkien�s famous �The Lord of the Rings� books and the world-renowned �Dungeons & Dragons�� role playing franchise.

�The time was right for Turbine to open a new studio on the West Coast,� said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO, Turbine Entertainment Software. �The online entertainment industry is a truly global phenomenon. This expansion will afford us better access to West Coast partners as well as Asia, providing Turbine with a tremendous strategic advantage.�

You can find the full press release here.

The folks at MMOGHell have an interview up with the new Senior Producer for Middle Earth Online Tim Holman:

MMOG Hell: What will MEO have that will make it different from other MMRPG?

Tim H.: Middle-Earth Online will have many features that will set it apart from other MMORPGs. First, MEO gets to draw from one of the greatest fantasy works of all time, Tolkien�s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Also, we make use of many exciting technologies, from private encounters to a new time-based character advancement system, just to name a few. You can read about these features and more by visiting the Middle-Earth Online community site at www.middle-earthonline.com

You can find the whole article here.