The folks at Turbine are keeping busy. After announcing the first expansion to Dungeons & Dragons Online last week, the developer has revealed its other free-to-play MMO, Lord of the Rings Online, would also get a new expansion.

"Riders of Rohan" will allow players to "join forces to ride into the Plans of Rohan," and is set to arrive this fall. Coming with the newest LOTRO expansion is an increased level cap to 85, "iconic locations" such as Amon Hen and Fangorn Forest, and a new "Mounted Combat" system.

Read more: Details on Riders of Rohan »

Having stated in October 2010 that revenues had doubled for The Lord of the Rings Online after moving to a free-to-play model, developer Turbine has revealed that its Tolkien MMORPG now rakes in triple the amount it did under a subscription model.

"This year--it's still early, it's only been a couple of months--monthly revenue's tripled for us," director of communications Adam Mersky Mersky said on the Ten Ton Hammer podcast (via Gamasutra), "which is obviously making us very happy." Read more »

Shacknews receives a slew of new screenshots and trailers for upcoming games everyday. The most anticipated titles receive their own post, because we know you're eager to see that content. For the rest, we have the Daily Filter, a place to feature all of the media we add to our enormous database on a daily basis.

Today's Filter features media for Deus Ex: Human Revolution featuring the game's pre-order bonuses, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, SBK 2011, Michael Jackson: The Experience, Runes of Magic, and Two Worlds II. Read more »

As we learned at GDC Online, Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) doubled its revenue with its move to a free to play model in September. Its new lease on life continues to gain steam today with the announcement of a new expansion to the game world. 'Rise of Isengard' will expand the realm eastward into Isengard. Pricing was not announced but players will have to purchase the content from the LOTRO store when it arrives in the fall of 2011.

The expansion includes the requisite level cap increase, allowing players to move up to level 70. Those familiar with the story know to expect the conflict with the wizard Saruman and his forces to take center stage in this chapter, and that comes complete with the legendary tower of Orthanc showing up in the game. LOTRO's monster play system—where players become the monsters squared off against the heroes—will also get an overhaul. This will include a new area to play the mode in, new skills and advancements, and an opening of the mode to all players. Here's a first look at all the goods in the 'Rise of Isengard' announcement trailer. Read more »

At GDC Online, Turbine revealed that revenue for Lord of the Rings Online has doubled following its switch to free-to-play with an in-game store for premium content.

Executive Producer Kate Paiz explains that "when you tell people you no longer have to pay for it, they come in droves," according to Joystiq. Read more »

As previously announced, Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online will officially go free-to-play on September 10. The move comes after a beta test, which began on June 16.

"Our LOTRO beta program has been a huge success and we want to thank all of our players who worked with us to get the game ready for launch," said executive producer Kate Paiz."Our unique pricing model has revolutionized the industry and starting in September, players will be able to choose how they pay for and play one of the world's best online games and we can't wait to welcome millions of new players to Middle-earth!" Read more »

Lord of the Rings Online publisher Warner Bros. has revealed that Turbine's Tolkien-inspired MMORPG will go free-to-play this fall, supported by microtransactions.

"Expansions, quest packs, items, and account services" are among the goodies players will be able to purchase with points either earned in-game or bought with cash money. Read more »

Developer Turbine just sent over a few more screenshots from the next free update to its MMO Lord of the Rings Online (PC).

Titled Book 13: Doom of the Last-king, the new content will let players explore the area of Forochel and dabble in the new fishing hobby. The studio has yet to provide an estimate as to when Book 13 will arrive.