f13.net

does Turbine have exclusive rights to the Tolkien franchise?  I thought I read somewhere they did until 2017?  Anyone know?

Asking because I would be curious if someone else wasn't trying to get an MMO started with the lore, someone like Cryptic

Wouldn't that be colossally stupid?  Of the Tolkien people, I mean, if they were to license the IP to two separate games simultaneously in competition with each other?  Especially since LOTRO isn't flopping horribly or anything, as far as I know, and is in general about the closest you can get to faithfully recreating Middle Earth and making a good game at the same time?

Even once any exclusivity runs out, it seems like the Tolkien people would be fools to license it for a competitor MMO.

Turbine doesn't hold the license exclusively for video games, but they *do* hold it exclusively for MMOs, I believe.

I think it's Saul Zaentz who owns the MMO or VG rights, so... who knows?

I can't be sure about exclusivity, but Turbine has the rights to run an MMG based on the main trilogy of books and The Hobbit until 2014, with an option to extend until 2017.

http://www.lotro.com/news/pressreleases/130-turbine-and-tolkien-enterprises-extend-relationship

Note they do not have rights to the movie, nor to The Silmarillion, the Unfinished Tales, the professor's correspondence &c. That's why Khamul is "The Lieutenant of Dol Guldur" and Ost-in-Edhil is "Echad Mirobel."

The Tolkien stuff has always had a split license. I'm hazy on the details but the original trilogy and The Hobbit are owned by Tolkien Enterprises while The Silmarillion and other stuff is owned by Christopher Tolkien, who guards them jealously. Or I have it mixed up. Regardless, it is true that the IP is carved up by book between different entities. The only time ANYONE has had access to the entire IP is when ICE got hold of it way back in the day for Middle Earth Roleplaying.