LOTR Online alpha-betized

Turbine today revealed that its massively multplayer online role-playing game based on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has entered the alpha stage of development. Turbine said that 125,000 people have signed up to participate in The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar's beta testing since registration opened in May. The company--which also developed February's Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach--added that it will invite "tens of thousands" more to participate in the months to come. Although traversing the world of Middle-earth may be one step closer to a reality, Turbine has yet to announce a release date for the game. For more on The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, check out GameSpot's impressions from the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo.