Turbine and Midway Games announce new Founder's Program for Lord of the Rings Online. Turbine also announces the release date of April 24, 2007.

Turbine, Inc. and Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY) today announced the details of the revolutionary pre-order Founder's Program for The Lord of the Rings Online(TM): Shadows of Angmar(TM). The highly anticipated massively multiplayer online game, The Lord of the Rings Online, lets players experience the greatest epic fantasy adventure of all time and join with millions of fans from around the globe in the vast world of Middle-earth.

This exciting Founder's Program rewards all players who pre-order The Lord of the Rings Online with special $9.99 monthly subscription pricing, early access to the game (beta version), character roll-over and unique in-game bonus items. Players can become a Founder by pre-ordering the title at www.lotro.com/preorder or at retail stores nationwide beginning February 1, 2007. This limited-time offer is exclusively available to pre-order customers.

"The Lord of the Rings Online immerses you in one of the greatest literary works of all time," said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine. "The Founder's Program pricing plan rewards fans for their loyalty with a special opportunity to join Middle-earth from the beginning."

The Lord of the Rings Online Founder's Program* offers players two different membership options:

Only $9.99 per month subscription price!

OR

Just $199 for a Lifetime Membership!

In addition to these special pricing options, The Lord of the Rings Online Founders receive:

Open Beta: Guaranteed access provides Founders the first opportunity to create a character and enter Middle-earth currently planned for March 30, 2007

Character Roll-Over: Moves the character that you created during the Open Beta into the live service --along with the stats, levels, items, and experience that character earned prior to launch!

Bonus Items: Two special in-game items that are only available to those who pre-order:

Enchanted Cloak of Regeneration

Ring of Agility

This exciting Founder's Program is available for a limited time until the commercial launch of The Lord of the Rings Online (currently scheduled for April 24, 2007). At launch, millions of fans will be able to explore the untold stories of Middle-earth, interact with legendary heroes like Gandalf, and play a vital role in the War of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings Online is the first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game based on the Books of J.R.R. Tolkien. The game recreates the vast world of Middle-earth with incredible dedication to the Tolkien lore with an unprecedented level of detail. The game delivers an experience that takes players beyond the books to where they can create their own story within the most famous fantasy world of all time. For more information, visit www.lotro.com.

Read more here.

Not to be the one who cried 'bash this game' now however although liking the idea of a 'lifetime' membership totaling that up it's about 20-ish months (just under 2 years) of gameplay costs (assuming it subcription price stays at $9.99), in my head it's a bit of a gamble as there is no reason to state that you will even play the game for that long or even the game will last that long...

If it does manage that length of time whats going to be their funding stratagy if many of it's playerbase choose the lifetime option? Yea they'll have a huge cash bundle in the short term but long term it's better to keep it with subcriptions so they have a perminate cash flow, TBH with the 'lifetime option' it looks like even they don't expect to see the game past 2 years and just want a huge cash injection as fast as possible

I disagree. Satellite radio offers lifetime subs for around the same price. I've had mine for almost two years now and I do not have any desire to drop it.

So, as long as Turbine provides its monthly updates or maybe an expansion or two and maybe no massive nerf bats I can see myself sticking around for awhile. I did that with EQ and AC was in both games for several years.

This sounds good, I am onboard! 

I enjoyed Dungeons and Dragons Online, and I like Turbine's mmos in general, so this is good news for me.  I never had high hopes for LotRO, but for $9.99, I am definitely going to be playing it in the beginning.  Hopefully, it'll have a long and interesting lifespan and make it worth while for the players who pay the lifetime fee.  I am way too fickle for that, though, as I might jump ship and play another mmorpg at any given time.

It's a good point, but pre-ordering isn't as much of a big  deal as some people make it out to be.  Whoever has access to a Gamestop can simply put down $5 for LotRO.  It is then Pre-ordered, and you are a Founder (as long as you buy the game).  If you realized that you don't like the game according to what you read or what you experience in Open Beta, simply transfer your $5 pre-order to something else or get a credit for it at Gamestop, and you haven't lost anything.

I just did this for Vanguard: Saga of Hereos.  I had the Collectors Edition pre-ordered for months and finally had enough of the poor performance I get while trying to test in the beta (which is only days away from becoming final).  So the preorder for Vanguard will now become my pre-order for LotRO.  Easy as pie, whatever that means.

I wonder how this turns out for European customers? This offer seems sweet as... pie.

Nobody knows what condition the game will be in come April 27th, or whenever the launch date will actually be.  It is a few months from now.  To say that it will still be in a beta state is speculative.

Even still, some players will not mind the bugs and will pay to play LotRO from the start, and to do that while paying $9.99 per month is better than paying $14.99.

If the launch really is terrible, there is always patience and understanding, and then as we mostly see, there is rage and ridicule for the game and its developer, in which case, there is a cancel subcription button waiting, and it's the same if you are paying $9.99 as a Founder or if you've picked up the game after release and pay $14.99.

For those who are optimistic and can see more good than bad in LotRO, and think it will be fun to play, this Founder deal is a good thing.  Of course it isn't good for someone who already looks at the game negatively.

I like the idea of $10 a month, but I'm not sure about the $200.  If you end up loving the game and it's the new Game To Play, then sure a flat lifetime fee is fine.  Odds are though that you may not play it for 20 months, which is what the flat fee equates to really.

I got my beta invite yesterday, so hopefully I can get some good insight as to how the game is working out.  Unfortunately, I did not care for DDO at all, so personally Turbine as 1 strike against them in my book.  They could still hit a homer though.

I hope you enjoy the beta, but don't tell us about it, there is still an NDA!  There are always fears about pre-ordering, and that's understandable, since sometimes you never know what you'll get.  But in this case, you will know after you've tried the Open Beta.  Even if you've pre-ordered and gotten into the beta that way, you can still opt out and not buy LotRO if you don't like what you've seen.

This is the way I'd like to see all mmorpg progress.  With closed beta and then a beta open to everyone, almost like a trial, so that they can get a sense of  the game before they buy the box.  The 30 days free was a nice try, but you had to pay $50 or more first.  If you didn't like the game after  those 30 days, you've just wasted money.  Most single player games release a demo, and it should be no different for mmorpgs in the form of an open beta before release.

The pre-order is for people who know they would like to play, and Turbine is simply rewarding them for their initial loyalty and investment.

Games that offer in-game advantages for preordering are not worth playing. They are allowing players to essentially buy advantages and this is unfair. Gaming purists who play MMOGs on the basis of sportsmanly competition, the way MMOGs were originally designed to be, don't want anything to do with this type of bastardization. Everything should be earned in-game thru expended effort only. A low character rollover and a few minor trinkets is too much of an advantage.

I also agree that being locked into a 2 year contract for a measly $5 discount per month is not worth it. I highly recommend you beta this product first to understand why.

Originally posted by Samuraisword

Games that offer in-game advantages for preordering are not worth playing. They are allowing players to essentially buy advantages and this is unfair. Gaming purists who play MMOGs on the basis of sportsmanly competition, the way MMOGs were originally designed to be, don't want anything to do with this type of bastardization. Everything should be earned in-game thru expended effort only. A low character rollover and a few minor trinkets is too much of an advantage.

Originally posted by Samuraisword

Games that offer in-game advantages for preordering are not worth playing. They are allowing players to essentially buy advantages and this is unfair. Gaming purists who play MMOGs on the basis of sportsmanly competition, the way MMOGs were originally designed to be, don't want anything to do with this type of bastardization. Everything should be earned in-game thru expended effort only. A low character rollover and a few minor trinkets is too much of an advantage.

I also agree that being locked into a 2 year contract for a measly $5 discount per month is not worth it. I highly recommend you beta this product first to understand why.

Since this is not really a pvp game I don't really see that there is any real competition. It's more a story based game so in essence it seems to correspond to reading a book and then having someone be a few chapters a head of you.

Sure there is monster play but that is not a focus of the game.

I actually think it's a good idea. Since this is a story based game, you lose a little replayability since who wants to do all the quests "all over again" after they've done them several times in Beta?

I think it's all a non issue. Sure, I think the "lifetime" option is a bit of overkill but the 9.99 is good for people who have played it, like the game and know they are going to be playing it for a little bit.

Turbine had me hooked on this game a looooooong time ago.
These pre-order incentives have caused my desire to play this game go through the roof!

April can't come fast enough.

The pre-order specials for Europe are going to be determined by Codemasters and Turbine together.  It's likely they will come up with something similar.

Also, everyone should note that the pre-order page states that the $9.99 a month deal is only for as long as you maintain an active account, without terminating it.  As soon as you cancel the account, whether permanently or temporarily, you will have to re-sub at the regular $14.99 price.  So if you're planning on playing it for a while, it's a pretty good idea.  Now, if you're absolutely sure you'll be playing it for the next 1.5 years+ and you can afford to drop some money up front, the $200 is the best deal.  Of course, you'll still have to buy expansions, but your subscription will always be covered...