December 2011 Producer's Letter

The end of 2011 is here, and it has been an incredible year for The Lord of the Rings Online.  I want to express deep thanks and gratitude from the staff at Turbine to all our fans that made this LOTRO's strongest year ever.  LOTRO's 5^thAnniversary is just around the corner - the time has just flown by - and LOTRO's growth in 2011 means that we'll be investing even more deeply in growing the world of Middle-earth.

We started 2011 following the Rangers of the North.  "In Their Absence," you stepped forward to face dangers across Eriador in a varied cluster of instances.  By the end of the year, you stood alone to face the "Armies of Isengard" on the gates of Orthanc tower itself.  Middle-earth grew again as the Rise of Isengard expansion added Dunland, the Gap of Rohan, and Isengard.  The development team took the opportunity to improve rewards and itemization, simplify currencies, streamline reputation items, and add the first version of the Instance Finder.

In July, we unified our North American and European LOTRO Communities together under the Turbine Global Service.  We're extremely delighted to have our European community here with us, as Sauron's darkness continues to encroach upon the Free Peoples and Isengard rises in the south.

2011 was a huge year for the team and we're not stopping there.  In 2012, you can expect more content that you've seen at any time since our launch in 2007. We'll be unveiling details with you after the New Year

Have a happy set of holidays and a very merry New Year!

Aaron “Rowan” Campbell, Senior Producer