Players can now experience Middle-earth™ like never before with major improvements to The Lord of the Rings Online’s graphics, including upgraded shaders for water, particle effects and lighting for distant terrain. Players will also be treated to new levels of immersion with the new DirectX 10 exclusive dynamic shadowing features which render realistic real-time shadows in the vast outdoor environments of The Lord of the Rings Online.

“Turbine has a history of pushing the graphics envelope so we can deliver state-of-the art immersive virtual worlds,” said Fernando Paiz, Director of Game Technology at Turbine, Inc. “We began working with NVIDIA very early in the development cycle so that we could fully leverage DirectX 10 technology to achieve our goal of creating the most complete and authentic recreation of Middle-earth. The results speak for themselves as The Lord of the Rings Online has set the bar for what persistent online worlds can be.”

“The FPS genre has long dominated the race to better graphics but with this major update from Turbine, The Lord of the Rings Online players can enjoy graphics as good as or even better than many FPS games. This is an outstanding achievement and the whole Turbine team should be rightly proud of what they have produced,” said Roy Taylor, Vice President of Content Relations at NVIDIA. “This deserves the attention of the entire video games industry and all MMORPG players everywhere. It points to a future where we will see increasing blending of genres and deeper, more immersive PC gaming experiences. We are delighted to have been able to support this work.”

The Lord of the Rings Online delivers an interactive experience brimming with life and filled with the familiar people, places and monsters from the most beloved fantasy adventure of all time. From the quaint surroundings of the Shire to Angmar, the vile kingdom of the Witch-king, players will experience the world of Middle-earth as never before. The Lord of the Rings Online is available for purchase at major retailers across North America.

For more information, or to download a free trial, visit www.lotro.com.