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Developer Turbine invested $20 million in console MMO

It’s no secret that MMOs take a long time to make and cost sizzling amounts of money, which is no surprise that developer Turbine, which has been “secretly” working on a console MMO for a year and a half, revealed that they’ve spent over $20 million on the project so far. The game will be released in 2011 on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

While console games this generation have outsold the PC counterparts by large margins, not many MMOs have made it to the consoles yet. Actually, only two MMO games, Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe have been released on consoles, and a third one is officially on the way, when Cryptic Studios revealed that the PC MMO Champions Online will make its way to the Xbox 360. However, the game has been delayed because of Microsoft’s policy towards MMOs on the console.

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited delayed

Turbine Inc., has announced today that Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited will be seeing a delay. The free-to-play game was originally slated for an August 6th release, but looks like it will be pushed back to September 9th. DDO VIPs will be given access to the game beginning September 1st, however.

The reason behind the delay was to “ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are expecting and deliver them a free to play experience like none other.”

DDO Unlimited lifts the level cap, introduces a new player class, and has includes more content.

LOTR Online growing

What may not seem as good news to the all dominating, all conquering World of Warcraft, it turns out that Lord of The Rings Online, one of the main competitors to WoW, is actually growing in subscribers.

While other MMOs face the fact and give up against WoW, which usually means shutting down or merging servers, LOTR Online developer Turbine has no such plans, according to VG247, where producer Aaron Campbell said that “If anything, The Lord of the Rings Online is growing. We have no plans to merge servers. And please don’t mention it, it makes me twitch unpleasantly”.

The exact number of subscribers to LOTR Online was not revealed, but estimates put it in the 500,000 range.

Turbine’s Console MMOs to be Revealed Next Year

It will be some time before we can get a look at what Turbine is cooking up in its dungeons, as the studio noted that details on the company’s console MMOs won’t be revealed until next year.

"I would guess by early next year we’ll be able to be much more specific about what we’re doing with console," said LOTRO executive producer Jeff Steefel. "What we’re doing now is the early development work and the work with the hardware manufacturers to understand where they’re heading in the online space, where the connectivity between the console and internet is really headed."

The company recently opened a new studio to support its development effort. A number of Flagship employees have been picked up.

Turbine Opens New Studio

Turbine, the studio behind Lord of the Rings Online, has opened a new west coast studio in Redwood City, CA. Additionally, the studio notes that it has picked up a few noteworthy recruits from the now defunct Flagship Studios, the studio behind the ill-fated Hellgate: London.

Among the recruits are creative director Dave Brebik, former Chief Visionary Officer for Flagship, and Jeff Lind, a technology specialist who will take on the role of engineering director. The new studio will be headed by Matt McKnight, former CEO of Sniper Studios.

“The new studio will be a vital part of Turbine’s corporate vision as it brings new titles to market, expands the platforms it supports and introduces new technologies to expand and grow the communities that are the foundation of online games," reads a press release from Turbine.

Lord of the Rings Online Expansion Dated

If you are one of the few who play Lord of the Rings Online, you’ll be glad to know that they have continued working on the game, releasing an expansion pack for it. The first add-on will be available in North America and Europe starting November 18.

Dubbed Mines of Moria, the add-on starts the game’s second volume, offering new enemies and environments across six chapters. To celebrate the release, Turbine is offering several pre-order bonuses, including lower subscription fees – $9.99 for multi-month, $199 for lifetime – among other things.

They are also offering Instant Win codes in specially marked boxes, giving gamers the chance to win from several prizes, including AlienWare packages, $10,000 cash and Logitech gaming keyboards and mice.