Have seen this news pop up in a few places now.

What does everybody think? End of an era for AC, or exciting possibilities?


Personally, I'm not sure how I feel about this, especially as I don't play anymore. It would be sad if they close AC down to make room for other games that WB are more interested in.


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http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=244503


WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT GROUP ACQUIRES TURBINE, INC.

NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST PRIVATELY-HELD

ONLINE GAMING STUDIO


BURBANK, Calif., April 20, 2010 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group announced today the acquisition of Turbine, Inc., the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America, further strengthening Warner Bros.’ position as one of the industry’s fastest growing, full-scale games publishers.


“Turbine is a leader in online entertainment and a strong strategic fit for Warner Bros. as we continue to broaden our games portfolio and development capabilities,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group. “Turbine’s renowned online game development and publishing expertise will help us develop additional online product offerings, while also providing us with new and innovative ways to market and communicate with our consumers.”


Founded in 1994 and operating primarily in Boston, Turbine has created some of the most popular and exciting gaming worlds on the Internet, including Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimitedâ„¢, the world’s best free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) and The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢, the first and only MMORPG based on the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. Previously, Warner Bros. held all The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) games rights, with the exception of the literary MMO (massively multiplayer online game) rights. Now all games rights for the LOTR franchise will be unified under the Warner Bros. shield.


“We have been looking to expand access to our online worlds to more players and more markets,” said Jim Crowley, president and CEO, Turbine, Inc. “This acquisition is very exciting because it allows us to expand globally while continuing to focus on creating spectacular online games that our loyal fans and players have come to expect.”


Additionally, the acquisition of Turbine provides Warner Bros. with access to a proprietary digital publishing platform that enables dynamic direct-to-consumer relationships, robust online merchandising opportunities and vibrant e-commerce functionality for online games. Turbine has also developed a social networking platform that can integrate their self-developed online communities with popular third-party social networks. Outside of the games arena, these platforms present unique opportunities for Warner’s other home entertainment businesses.


“Turbine is recognized globally for its industry-leading technology, groundbreaking graphics and its unique ability to create and operate massive and persistent online worlds which greatly enhance players’ social gaming experiences,” said Martin Tremblay, president, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons & Dragons Online have both been an enormous success for Turbine and we look forward to working with their talented development team to continue creating award-winning online games.”


In 2007, Warner Bros. acquired TT Games, developer of the hit LEGO-based game franchises, including LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Indiana Jones and LEGO Batman, which have wide appeal with players of all ages. Early in 2009, Warner Bros. acquired Snowblind Studios to develop its The Lord of the Rings games franchise, with the first title The Lord of the Rings: War in the North expected to be released in 2011. Also in 2009, the Studio purchased the primary assets of Midway Games. Midway published the Mortal Kombat franchise, which has sold over 26 million units worldwide. Most recently, Warner Bros. acquired a majority stake in Rocksteady Studios, a privately held developer of interactive entertainment targeted at teens and adults.


Warner Bros. continues to grow its games business through key acquisitions, building internal development capabilities, leveraging its global video distribution infrastructure, and focusing on developing major games franchises such as Batman, F.E.A.R., Mortal Kombat, The Lord of the Rings and LEGO.


About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHEG oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHEG distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com.


About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.


About Turbine

Turbine, Inc. is the premier creator and operator of massive, persistent online worlds that foster powerful social gaming communities. Turbine is the largest privately-held online gaming studio in North America and has created some of the world’s most popular and award-winning online games, including The Lord of the Rings Onlineâ„¢, Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimitedâ„¢, and Asheron's Call®. For more information on Turbine, its products and services please visit www.turbine.com.


# # #

THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINEâ„¢ interactive video game © 2010 Turbine, Inc. and patents pending. All rights reserved. Middle-earth Poster Map © 2007 The Saul Zaentz Company, d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises f/k/a Tolkien Enterprises (SZC), under license to Turbine, Inc. All rights reserved. “The Lord of the Rings Online”, “Siege of Mirkwood”, Middle-earth Enterprises logo, “The Lord of the Rings” and the names of the characters, events, items and places therein are trademarks or registered trademarks of SZC under license to Turbine, Inc. Turbine and the Turbine logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Turbine, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


Dungeons & Dragons Online, Eberron Unlimited, Stormreach, Dungeons & Dragons, Sentinels, and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions, and are used with permission. Hasbro is a trademark or registered trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions, and are used with permission. Atari and the Atari logo are trademarks owned by Atari Interactive, Inc. Turbine and the Turbine logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Turbine, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other jurisdictions. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 

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Bigger businesses tend to phase out sectors that are not big money makers. I could see something such as this killing ac while they focus on the things that are bringing in more money.

Sadly I think AC is done.

I play LOTRO so I hope they don't mess with that either.

Yeah, who knows which way this will go for AC, but Wanobe is right, if they make a lot more money on the other games, and Asheron's Call just keeps itself afloat, they may pull the plug and try to get everyone to move over to a different game instead (Kinda like Asheron's Call 2).

 

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I liked how they didn't mention ac once...

 

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Asheron's Call is mentioned in there

 

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Only time will tell, but AC is getting elderly.

They won't axe AC it pays for it self and there is no reason to get rid of it. If it was loosing money I could see it gone but I doubt it. Also there are 4 or 5 different press releases some mention AC others don;t. I doubt AC is gone and if it is it will be a sad day!

 

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From Marketroid:

Turbine Community Update 4/22/10
Now that we’ve unveiled our big announcement, it’s time to share a little more detail about what this means to you, our players.

Many of you have asked what this means for your game experience. The simple answer is that we don’t expect much to change for the foreseeable future. We remain committed to each of our games as we move forward. This change in corporate ownership is not expected to affect our current product portfolio. We’re still the company that brings you AC, DDO, and LOTRO.

Most importantly, not only do we remain fully committed to our core franchises but will seek to grow them aggressively going forward. We’re looking forward to putting our newfound muscle behind your favorite games as we grow into our new role within the WB family of companies.

Overall, this change is a great thing for Turbine. We’re excited for the future of our games and we hope you’ll share the excitement with us in the months and years ahead.

Thanks again to each of our players and subscribers - as always, Turbine is Powered by Our Fansâ„¢

Link here: http://forums.ac.turbine.com/showthread.php?t=45732

 

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The Fans and the poor over worked Hamster!

 

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