Media conglomerate Warner Bros. has purchased Turbine Entertainment, the game company behind Lord of the Rings Online. Meaning that WB, owners of the rights to the LOTR movies and to LOTR games that aren't online, and the owners of the rights to LOTR games that are online are now the same people.

“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 in a statement. “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.”

Although there hasn't been any mention of future plans for the franchise, I have to figure that the goal is to provide a more unified, synergistic Lord of the Rings world in terms of video games. All gamers need now is a game as mind-blowing (or even half as mind-blowing) as the movie series, and I think we'll have something very, very cool here.

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