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Lord of the Rings, D&D MMOs Acquired by New Company, Owner Promises No Changes

The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online are under new management.

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A new studio is taking control of The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online. It was announced today that development on the PC MMOs is shifting from the established, Warner Bros.-owned studio Turbine to a brand-new outfit called Standing Stone Games.

In a statement, Standing Stone added that it has partnered with H1Z1 and PlanetSide developer Daybreak Games (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) to handle publishing services for the games around the world.

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According to Standing Stone, it's brought on veteran developers from the Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online teams.

"The teams remain very much committed to both games and are thrilled to continue development and operations of these games as an independent studio," it added. "This is an opportunity for us to bring about our dreams while still working on two of the biggest licenses in video games."

Standing Stone added that "a great many things" are in the works for both games. The developer also assured players that there should be "as little interruption as possible" as part of the changeover.

"Although we are a new studio, we are also the same developers who have been and will continue to work on our games. Our success has always been possible because of your support," Standing Stone said. "As we move forward, this is more important than ever. The ultimate goal of our new studio is to continue to bring you amazing experiences. We are excited for the future, and we're thrilled to have you with us on this journey."

A FAQ further explains that Standing Stone acquired the rights to The Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons Online, though terms of the deal with Warner Bros. were not disclosed.

"It's business as usual for both Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online operations and development. Both games will continue along their respective development paths and bring you the content you enjoy," the FAQ goes on to say.

As for Turbine, the studio remains operational but won't work on Lord of the Rings Online or Dungeons & Dragons Online any longer. The studio released Batman: Arkham Underworld earlier this year for mobile devices and is also working on another smartphone game, Game of Thrones: Conquest.

All existing Turbine account login information is unchanged, while all purchases, Turbine Points, VIP status, and items acquired through either game's store will remain attached to your account. Turbine Points will henceforth be known as Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online Points.

Some downtime for both games may occur in the coming weeks, Standing Stone said, adding that its hope is to "minimize the amount of downtime to the least possible."

Read the full FAQ here.

Dungeons & Dragons Online came out in 2006, while Lord of the Rings Online launched in 2007. Both are free-to-play games.

In other Lord of the Rings news, the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring, came out 15 years ago today.

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