Turbine and Midway announced today that The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar (LOTRO) has officially entered Beta in North America. Codemasters Online Gaming is pleased to announce the simultaneous launch of Pre-Beta in Europe.

This Beta is by invitation only and over time more and more players will be invited. Fans can continue to register to join the Beta programme by visiting http://www.lotro-europe.com for the European programme.

“The response to the LOTRO Alpha was overwhelming. Player enthusiasm continues to exceed our expectations at every milestone,” said Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc. “The Alpha was oversubscribed and the Beta programme is on a record-setting pace with nearly 200,000 players already registered. LOTRO is building toward one of the largest beta communities in the industry.”

The first and only massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based on the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings Online™ allows players to write their own stories in Middle-earth™, the most famous fantasy world of all time.

David Solari, Vice President and General Manager of Codemasters Online Gaming, said “It’s great to reach this phase of development for such an exciting game. We look forward to seeing players bring the incredible world of Middle-earth to life and making it their own.”

The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar lets players join in an epic adventure – exploring a massive online world while defending the lands of Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron. Players of all levels will explore incredibly detailed realms and join familiar characters in an evolving and persistent re-creation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved world.

They will face the dangers Frodo and the Fellowship left behind when they began their epic journey to destroy the One Ring. Gamers can adventure solo or choose from thousands of players online to forge their own fellowships. Players, solo and fellowships alike, will be challenged by hideous monsters and minions of evil as they fight epic battles to defend Middle-earth. LOTRO will deliver on the opportunity to allow players to immerse themselves in the greatest adventure of our time.