Overview
Cyberspace, Inc. was founded in 1994 in Providence, Rhode Island. After changing their name to Turbine in 1995, they first gained noticed with the Microsoft-published MMORPG Asheron's Call, which was released in late 1999. The game was a pioneer in the genre in many ways and, while less popular, was the main rival for EverQuest for a time.
In 2003, Turbine purchased all the rights to AC back from Microsoft. After the 2002 release, and 2005 cancellation of its sequel, Asheron's Call 2, Turbine turned to licensing classic fantasy franchises, gaining the rights to two of the biggest names in fantasy: the Lord of the Rings and Dungeons & Dragons.
Dungeons and Dragons Online (DDO) launched in 2006. Although offering a more team-based action style of gameplay than the leading MMOs, DDO failed to gain a significant user base.
Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) launched in 2007 to good reviews, and is assumed (as Turbine does not release subscription numbers) to have a sizable number of players. In 2009, DDO was re-released as a free-to-play title. Turbine reported that subscription numbers after the re-release were the highest yet.
The studio was acquired by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group in April 2010.
In 2012, Turbine made the unprecedented move to bring back Asheron's Call 2 seven years after it had been discontinued.
In December 2016, WB Games moved Turbine off DDO and LOTRO. Both games were moved to a new, spin-off studio called Standing Stone Games and Daybreak Games became the publisher on both games moving forward. The Asheron's Call franchise remained as part of Turbine.
As of November 2018, the studio became known as WB Games Boston and has transitioned towards mobile and free-to-play games.
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