Lord of the Rings Online goes free this autumn

Across Europe and North America.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment have announced that Turbine, Inc. will unveil a major update this fall, making The Lord of the Rings Online free-to-play for everyone.

Launching this fall across North America and Europe, with Codemasters operating the game free-to-play in Europe, LOTRO will introduce Turbine's innovative new pricing model that allows players to download the game and play for free, purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services from the new LOTRO Store, or join the VIP program to get unlimited access to all of the game's content for one low price.

"Having successfully taken two titles free-to-play in the past we are very pleased to be doing the same with The Lord of the Rings Online in Europe," said David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online. "It's a fantastic, award-winning game with a wonderfully realized world and this step will only broaden its appeal and increase its player base."

A beta program for the new LOTRO will begin on June 16 - details on how to take part can be found on lotro.com.