This Beta is by invitation only and over time more and more players will be invited. Fans can continue to register to join the Beta Program by visiting http://www.lotro.com/betasignup for North America and http://www.lotro-europe.com for the European program.

“The response to LOTRO Alpha was overwhelming. Player enthusiasm continues to exceed our expectations at every milestone,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “The Alpha was oversubscribed and the Beta Program is on a record-setting pace with nearly 200,000 players already registered. LOTRO is building toward one of the largest beta communities in the industry.”

The first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Online™ allows players to write their own stories in Middle-earth™, the most famous fantasy world of all time.

David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming, said “It’s great to reach the Beta for such an exciting game. We look forward to seeing players bring the incredible world of Middle-earth to life and making it their own.”