Newsbrief: Lord of the Rings Online creator Turbine is being hit with layoffs as parent company Warner Bros. continues to transition the studio into a free-to-play mobile developer.

In a brief statement given to Kotaku, Warner Bros. said two of the Boston-based studio's high-profile MMOs, The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online, will continue to operate as normal. The future of Turbine’s first game, Asheron’s Call, wasn’t discussed. 

"Turbine is transitioning into a free-to-play, mobile development studio, and as a result we are eliminating some positions," said Warner Bros.

"The Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons online games will continue to operate as they do now. Re-focusing and reducing the studio size was a difficult decision for the company, and we are grateful to all of the Turbine staff for their considerable contributions."

As always, if you or someone you know has been affected by these cuts, you can email Gamasutra to tell your story confidentially.