Are you a Lord of the Rings Online, Shadows of Angmar, ArchLord, RF Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online, or a Stormreach fan? If you are, you've probably thought at one point or another tat it would be great to meet the teams behind the games and fellow players. This is your big chance as Codemasters Online is announcing an event called "Connect 2008" where lots of fun stuff in and out of virtual worlds will happen. Read the full article for more details.

There's a new world for you to explore in Codemasters Online's 100% free MMORPG, RF Online. The new world "Lumen" was opened in response to the growing demand of players, especially as RF Online hit an all time high with game hits since the switch to free-to-play just last week.

Says Ed Relf, Codemasters Online's Director of Marketing, "The opening of a new game world marks a key milestone in the ongoing development of RF Online." He further notes that ever since the switch, they have had up to 300% increase in the number of players enjoying the game each day, as well as those downloading it.

"The demand for RF Online has never been stronger and we are preparing for yet more servers to come online in the coming days." It certainly looks like there'll be more goodies to come our way, then.

Codemasters Online has announced that RF Online is now a completely free-to-play MMORPG. The full game is now available for download at rf-onlinegame.com without any monthly subscription required.

This announcement comes after a successful relaunch of ArchLord as a free-to-play title. ArchLord gained a 700 percent increase in its playerbase after going the free-to-play route. Codemasters Online hopes to replicate this success with RF Online.

"We have proven with ArchLord that has been downloaded over 1 million times the potential success that can be experienced and we are pleased to be in a position to re-launch RF Online using a similar model," said Ed Relf, director of marketing for Codemasters Online.

  

Yeah, the Codemaster folks are getting giddier with every pre-order for The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. Recently, Codemasters divulged that thousands of European players have already pre-ordered LOTRO which is scheduled for an April 24 release in the European continent.

In fact, Codemasters believes that this is their largest European pre-release campaign, and it seems that their campaign is paying off. Of course, players are getting enticed with the 10-day head start access to the game which comes with the pre-order pack. Aside from that, the pre-order packs would give players access to exclusive in-game items and would also give them a chance to become a Founder of The Lord of the Rings Online. Check this earlier article to know more of the Founder Program. Says Ed Relf, marketing director for Codemasters:

We are ecstatic with the pre-order frenzy surrounding The Lord of the Rings Online. We are excited with the unprecedented demand for the game and are looking forward to launching what is set to be one of the most successful PC games in recent years!

It looks like Christmas is coming early to the realm of Archlord. Codemasters' Mr.Ktat announced over at their site that Team ArchLord is being asked to take part in an Xfire developer's chat.

So, what exactly does this mean? It means, readers, that ArchLord will be linking up with the Xfire instant messaging system, so expect  gameplay communication amongst you and your buddies to be faster, on and off the game.

Mr.Ktat's asking everybody in the realm who's interested to log in December 12 -  the day of that chat - so that they, along with Mr.Ktat himself and Ed Relf, can take part in this major undertaking, and get a firsthand glimpse of Xfire for ArchLord. Oh yeah,  he recommends generous ammounts of caffeine before the chat - looks like they're expecting a very long talk...

Codemasters Online Gaming announces an ambitious “End of Beta” ArchLord event that will attempt the largest PvP battle in an MMO. The epic showdown will take place 12:00pm PST (3:00pm EST) on Sunday Oct 1 in ArchLord’s fantasy game world Chantra.

In preparation for this planned stress test of the servers, COG has released an additional 500,000 BETA keys for anyone wanting to participate in this ultimate PvP battle that will see thousands of players pit their wits against each other in a fight to the (virtual) death.

To be part of the epic battle, players will need to join one of four specific guilds led by four heroes: Brumhart - Champion of Zylok, Ziann - Champion of Anchorville, Evengarda - Champion of Tullan, or Gaiahon - Champion of Terranoa. For detailed information on how to participate please visit the “End of Beta” forum posting at the official website.

“We wanted an epic conclusion to the ArchLord BETA and this PvP battle is extremely exciting,” said Ed Relf, head of marketing, Codemasters Online Gaming. “Not only is it exactly what MMO gaming is about, it will also give us the chance to stress test the servers in a way that has never been attempted before.”

Gamers that want to participate need to request a key and join the beta by visiting the BETA application page.

ArchLord�, the MMORPG where one player will rule the world, will ship to stores in North America on October 3, Codemasters Online Gaming confirmed today. It is also announced that the game’s subscription package will now follow the traditional standard monthly MMO payment model rather than the proposed PLAYplus system, which was tested within the game’s beta phase.

The PLAYplus payment system allowed players to choose from a range of monthly subscription packages, each offering different levels of in-game incentives at varying price points. Following experimentation with the system within the beta test and monitoring the feedback from thousands of ArchLord community members, the PLAYplus system will not be implemented for the game’s release.

ArchLord will now launch with a standard monthly subscription of $14.99, (plus applicable taxes). The single monthly subscription will also include free credits for all players to redeem against in-game enhancements.  All players will receive the same amount of credits as part of the single monthly subscription, providing a level playing field for all subscribers.

“We have listened to our community and delivered. From the start of the test of the PLAYplus system, we had an open dialogue with players to monitor reactions to the system,” said Ed Relf, director of marketing, Codemasters Online Gaming. “Here at Codemasters Online Gaming we place great importance on our open dialogue with players and our ability to react positively to their constructive feedback. We wish to thank all players that spent time testing PLAYplus and the detailed feedback they provided which assisted in reaching the final decision.”

Codemasters Online Gaming is currently evaluating a series of other additional in-game benefits to reward the games most loyal players with more details to follow soon. If you are interesting in testing out ArchLord, there are still places left in the ArchLord beta for the final week.

You can now get constant updates on the goings-on in the MMORPG community, thanks to COGcast. What is Cogcast exactly? Well, it's a monthly show that covers anything and everything even remotely related to Codemasters Online Gaming's MMO titles which include ArchLord, Dungeons & Dragons Online: STORMREACH, RF Online and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar.

The show will be very light humored and casual, making it easy on the ears, but still nonetheless "official" and gives users exclusive content about the MMO titles including the news stories, contests, community topics, interviews, etc. Cogcasts will be hosted by the COG team; Ed Relf, Ed Blincoe, and Kyle Rowley, who will bring you exclusive interviews, competitions, and news, and even take you behind the scenes of MMO production.

Download: [CogCast Episode 1]

Turbine's The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar is now basking in the afterglow of very good responses from those lucky enough to have gotten their hands on the Alpha release. However, for those of us that only have our imagination to carry us through the 21st century manifestation of Tolkien's ethereal Middle Earth and all its glory, here are three new screens from the game. It highlights the Ravaged Lands and Ered Luin.

Too bad for those that twist and turn at night because of LOTRO game information deprivation, recently Codemasters graced the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival where Ed Relf and Ed Blincoe from the COG team presented both The Lord of the Rings Online and ArchLord. We'll be seeing more updates from them, and expect us to to give you first dibs on 'em info.

Codemasters Online Gaming confirmed the details regarding their attendance at the Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival. Ed Relf & Ed Blincoe from the COG team  will be there to present both The Lord of the Rings Online and ArchLord exclusively at the event providing details on both games along with gameplay demonstrations.

Codemasters is really supporting the event as they plan on distributing exclusive goodie packs to all attendees. The packs will include copies of some of their recent MMO games and their exclusive merchandise. The presentations will be taking place on 22nd August at 4.30pm at The Odeon Cinema, Lothian Rd, Edinburgh. Tickets are available for free but on a first come first served basis from either of the two Gamestation stores in Edinburgh.