Codemasters, Turbine Team Up For D&D Online European Release

UK-headquartered game publisher and developer Codemasters, which has recently been making moves into the MMO business with the Western licensing of Korean title RF Online, has announced that it is teaming with Turbine to be the online service provider for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach in Europe. Codemasters will be responsible for hosting, community management, technical support and billing for D&D Online in Europe when it launches next year, and this continues the company's move into the online arena, following the July set-up of Codemasters Online Gaming, a new division of the company will focus specifically on massively multiplayer online games and online casual games. The UK-based publisher and developer previously dabbled in the MMO market with its now-cancelled title Dragon Empires, but it seems likely that Codemasters' recent venture capital funding by Benchmark Capital has refocused part of the company on areas that VCs currently find interesting, such as casual gaming and online subscription-based gaming, while still continuing with a core of console and PC-based games such as Ricky Ponting Cricket and the TOCA Race Driver. "Codemasters' investment in online gaming makes them the right partner for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach in Europe," explained Jeffrey Anderson, president and CEO of Turbine. "We are convinced that Codemasters will provide the best exposure and customer support for this highly anticipated title."