Codemasters has confirmed that the European free-to-play re-launch of The Lord of the Rings has been delayed. Apparently, the reason for its delay is so that Codemasters can prepare for what they assume will be a “massive increase” in players. The delay means that Book 2: Ride of the Grey Company and the Free to Play Store will now be released “later than expected”.

“We are really pleased with the performance of the game and excited about the response to Free to Play from our players,” said Rowland. “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.

“As a result, we have decided to delay launch to ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are anticipating and deliver them a Free to Play experience like none other.”