Keen-eyed Lord of the Rings Online players have spotted a new Trade Mark application for specifically computer games and related products under the name of ‘Riders of Rohan’, a possible expansion for the successful MMO.
The application was made on 20 March by ‘The Saul Zaentz Company’. On further investigation, this company is behind a number of films including the 1978 animated version of LOTR. It appears that there is a division of Saul Zaentz called Tolkien Enterprises, which owns certain exclusive rights to the literary works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien Enterprises provides the licences to other parties wishing to use LOTR for “various lines of merchandise”.
To add further weight to the rumours, anyone visiting ridersofrohan.com will find themselves at the LotRO website. Does all this recent activity over the title mean that LotRO is shaping up for its next expansion?
