Seriously, Lord of the Rings Online has just made a dream of mine come true – with a Design Your Own Horse contest. In what must surely be another sure sign that Rohan is the next expansion (as if there were any doubt), I’m really excited to see what fans make of the contest even though they say only the winner will appear in-game. Next we need Rohan announced with the customise-your-horse option and that’d just rock.

The closing date for both the US and EU contests is 28th July, with winners regaled on 18th (Codemasters) and 28th August (Turbine). Note these dates. The belief that Rohan will be announced sometime before the end of the summer fits in quite nicely with this horse-themed contest, so I think we’re looking at an announcement at the end of August now. With the European Games Developers Conference in mid-August and then PAX in the US in early September, it looks like we’re really honing in on a window of opportunity here. No idea how long from announcement to release, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was early next year. If it comes any sooner, I’ll be delighted, of course, and that would fit in with the hints of a level cap increase before the end of the year. So, let’s just sit back and enjoy the speculation ride!