Turbine launches LOTRO in Korea, Russia

Lord of the Rings Online developer Turbine has announced that its popular MMO has launched in both Korea and Russia today.

The Korean localisation of the game was first announced in December of 2007, with Korean internet company NHN localising the game.

"The Lord of the Rings Online will redefine the MMORPG genre in Korea, with amazing graphics and high-quality game content, along with a game system that Korean gamers are familiar with," said NHN publishing director Kim Chang-Keun at the time of the initial announcement.

The Russian distribution of the game was brought about through a January 2008 partnership with MMO and casual game developer and publisher IT Territory.

"Our vision is to lead the growth of online games in Russia," said ITT president Igor Matsanyuk at the time of the announcement. "We believe that The Lord of the Rings Online is the perfect franchise for us to deliver to our audience as part of this strategy. Our partnership with Turbine underscores the tremendous success, attention to detail, and transparency that our operations bring to the best game developers in the world as they seek to enter the massive Russian market."

The Lord of the Rings Online initially launched in North America, Australia, Japan and Europe on April 24, 2007, with a Chinese release through CDC Games later that year.

Turbine, the game's developer, has been in the spotlight recently for two high profile hires, specifically Ken Surdan as VP of operations and Jan Robert Hosfall as chief marketing officer. GamesIndustry.biz also reported on a number of redundancies at the company in December, following the launch of The Lord of the Ring Online's first expansion pack, The Mines of Mora.