On the eve of its free to play launch, LOTRO is nominated for the Best of Show at this year’s PAX Prime conference in Seattle.

Codemasters (who now handle the administrative duties for Lord of the Rings Online in Europe) has announced that the free to play relaunch has been indefinitely delayed.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Michael Rowland explained the delay in the following terms: “Given the complexities and challenges faced in the preparation and implementation of the new store to work within our infrastructure, we feel more time is needed to deliver the high level of service our players have quite rightly come to expect.”

Damn that pesky infrastructure, it’s always up to no good.

The update “Book 2: Ride of the Grey Company” and the free to play store are already up and running for North American users, but it seems people in Europe should prepare for a wait. Codemasters has given no firm date for the European relaunch, suggesting only that it will be coming “later than expected.”

Turbine Inc., the Westwood maker of multiplayer online video games, has decided it can make more money by allowing fantasy gamers to visit Middle-earth for free.

Yesterday, Turbine unveiled a free version of its Lord of the Rings Online game, based on the popular novels of J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s the latest online game to adopt an increasingly popular business model called “free-to-play.’’ Users can play the entire game without spending a dime, but their progress through the fantasy world will be slow. Gamers who want a more competitive experience can visit the online store and spend real-world money on virtual tools and weapons that will make the game easier. And dedicated players can still sign up for the traditional monthly subscription.

Turbine spokesman Adam Mersky said the model will attract thousands of new players, many of whom will buy game accessories or opt for a standard subscription, which costs between $9.99 and $14.99 a month. “Our view is, this is sort of the future of online games,’’ said Mersky. “You have to provide players with a choice.’’

The company adopted the model last year with its Dungeons & Dragons Online game. According to the market research firm NPD Group, the change helped make it the third-most popular multiplayer online game in the United States last year, up from 11th place in 2008. Mersky said that 20 percent of the “free’’ Dungeons & Dragons players have purchased game accessories. “I think in the first 35, 40 days of that game, we saw a 500 percent increase in revenue,’’ he said.

Turbine plans a major promotional effort for the free version of Lord of the Rings Online, including a television commercial that will debut on Sunday during “Family Guy,’’ the Fox network show. “This is clear ly our biggest launch ever,’’ said Mersky. “We’re putting a lot behind this.’’

The most popular multiplayer online game is Activision Blizzard Inc.’s World of Warcraft, which has attracted more than 11 million subscribers worldwide. It costs around $15 per month to play the game, which does not offer a free option. Edward Woo, a game industry analyst at Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles, said that World of Warcraft’s immense popularity has forced other companies to attract players with free games. “World of Warcraft is so entrenched and it’s sucking up so many subscription dollars,’’ said Woo. “That’s why you have to offer free-to-play, to try to get them hooked.’’

Turbine won’t reveal how many people subscribe to its games. But industry analyst David Cole of DFC Intelligence in San Diego, believes that the subscription version of Lord of the Rings Online has been reasonably successful, although “it wasn’t anywhere near the level of World of Warcraft,’’ said Cole. “The subscription base was in the hundreds of thousands. Not in the millions.’’

Cole said the free-to-play option could help Turbine maximize revenues by attracting cost-conscious gamers. “There’s a lot of users out there who are willing to pay $5 a month, but not $15 a month,’’ Cole said.

38 Studios LLC, the video game company founded by former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, plans to release an online fantasy game code-named Copernicus. But yesterday the company refused to say whether it would adopt a subscription model, free-to-play, or a combination of the two.

Lord of the Rings Online Now – Free-To-Play LOTR – One of the world’s most popular massive multiplayer online roleplaying games, Lord of the Rings Online is now free to play for gamers in North America. The free to play version allows gamers to take their character all the way up to level 50, as well as purchase premium items including expansions, quests, items and accounts services straight from the game client. However, gamers will be required to pay for the game if they would like to adance past level 50 and explore further into the games storylines.

With all of the expansions being free to play, the storyline that correlates with the game has been expanded with the recent release of “volume III, Book 2: The Ride of the Grey Company.” This is a perfect opportunity for fans of the books who don’t usually play games to check the game out and see if they are interested in the tales that are divulged regarding Middle Earth.

The Lord Of The Rings Franchisee is considered as one of the most successful film franchisees in the world. The game modeled after the cinema has turned out to be equally successful. The latest update on the online game is that one can now play it for free which was not possible even a few days back! The game earlier the users to churn out a monthly fee. The payers now get free access to the epic and middle earth storyline which offers hours of engaging game play experience. The can also get access to the Lord Of The Rings online store where they can find various new maps for the game levels.

While there are lots of freebies for those who want to play the popular game for free, the subscribed users also get their share of goodies. The existing paid users are given more character slots for every server. They also get more storage space compared to those who are playing the game free. They also do not face any limitation in finding and becoming members of on line communities.

The news has made the lovers of the game excited and they are eager to try out the offer. The LOTR games have not lost their appeal among the gamers despite the fact that it is in the market for more than 3 years now. This MMORPG is somewhat akin to the franchises like World of Warcraft but it stands out amidst the crowd of similar games owing to its immersible nature. Its cinematic effects and lush scenery are simply incomparable even today.