MMO Gamer Turbine Powers Up with $50 Million

MMO game publisher Turbine has raised $50 million in new VC funding, according to a regulatory filing discovered by peHUB. The investment comes just one month before Turbine launches its first-ever hybrid product, a Dungeons & Dragons Online spinoff that will be free to play with various premium (read: pay) sections.

Turbine did not list any new investors for the “Series D” round, of which just over $6.5 million has been called down. Return backers include Columbia Capital, Highland Capital Partners, Granite Global Ventures, Polaris Venture Partners and Tudor Ventures. The Westwood, Mass.-based company had previously raised around $95 million, including a $40 million Series C round last April. No valuations have been disclosed.

Turbine is believed to be the MMO market’s (distant) number two player, behind World of Warcraft publisher Activision Blizzard (a unit of Vivendi). Its big hits are D&D Online and Lord of the Rings Online, and there also is talk that Turbine will soon complement its online games with console and mobile offerings. In short, it wants to become an “entertainment-as-a-service” company.

peHUB has left messages with Turbine and some of its investors, and will update this post if/when we hear back.