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Lord Of The Rings Onine becomes Free2Play...

Rincewiend

Admiral
Admiral
Just got this email:
Coming this autumn, we are proud to announce a major update that will make The Lord of the Rings Online™ (LOTRO) Free-to-Play for everyone. LOTRO will be introducing a new pricing model which allows new players to download the game and play for free. Everyone will be able to purchase expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new LOTRO Store, or join our VIP program to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content for one low price.

In addition to the new pricing model, the award winning story will be extended, a new region unveiled and much more!

LOTRO will offer players unlimited choice!

Players who elect to become a LOTRO VIP will have unlimited access to all premium content, receive priority server access, 5 character slots, a shared bank slot, and a monthly allotment of Points to spend in the new LOTRO Store.

NB: All current lifetime subscription holders will automatically become VIPs under the new pricing model.
http://www.codemasters.co.uk/emails/lotro/freetoplay/free_to_play_uk_web.html
 
Do you get to stick that ring into the volcano or what?
Is Cate Blanchette in the game?
I think I would have a go at bearing that ring. I ain't 'fraid of no ring.
 
i may check it out now... i checked out D&D online when that went free... ugh... what a mess that was. i dont have high hopes for LotRO.
 
I tried D&DO last night and the night before. I don't really like its control scheme. Too un-intuitive after having played WoW and WAR. The content seems cool, I suppose, but UI and controls turned me off. I won't continue playing. I tried LotRO last year, and didn't care for that much either. I had some decent fun with AoC when I tried that out, but my free trial ran out and I was having more fun with Warhammer Online's PVP so I stuck with that.
 
Having played DDO before and after it became free-to-play, I found it a disappointment both times, since (sadly as with many fantasy MMORPGs) the primary focus is on hack-and-slash action; meaning that unless you liked playing a character that excelled at this kind of gameplay, you had to find a group of players that could cover you while you did your proverbial thing. I haven't played LOTRO, as yet, and I am as many seem to likewise be, very unhopeful.
 
This is what WoW will be like, five years and two expansions from now, when the player base drops under a million after everyone else moves on to whatever all-new Blizzard MMO everyone wets themselves over.
 
That'd probably be the easiest way to transition people from WoW to whatever comes next.
Certainly they must be dropping users because they haven't really made a big deal about their larger user base in a while.
 
I think it's remained relatively steady, I'd expect the player base to grow a bit again in Cataclysm and you'll probably see them talking about numbers again at that point.

Really, they haven't mentioned much about numbers since early Wrath last year when they were really pushing new sales of the expac.
 
This is what WoW will be like, five years and two expansions from now, when the player base drops under a million after everyone else moves on to whatever all-new Blizzard MMO everyone wets themselves over.

The new Blizzard MMO is a FPS. So, it shouldn't affect their WoW customer base very much.

I myself lost all interest in that project when it was announced to be an FPS. I mean Quake was fun back in the day, but I think I'll be sticking to WoW / Diablo tyvm.
 
LOTRO is a pretty good game. There is a LOT to do, and plenty of non-combat quests that yield tangible stat benefits. Graphics engine is very good looking and light on the requirements.
I never quite got sucked into it, though, but I just don't find games addictive any more. But LOTRO is a lot of fun, especially for a Tolkien fan.
 
The new Blizzard MMO is a FPS.

I think you just made that up.

And I doubt that WoW will ever go F2P. The aim of the game at this point - an entire console generation post-release - is player retention. And folks don't quit or not check out the game because of the fees. No doubt Blizzard will continue to smooth the road for new subscribers financially as well as in-game, but a fundamental change in the financial model? Not a chance.

An earlier post about LOTRO's shift being an act of desperation is an exaggeration, but it's very much a LOTRO solution for a game in LOTRO's shoes: LOTRO.
 
The new Blizzard MMO is a FPS.

I think you just made that up.

And I doubt that WoW will ever go F2P. The aim of the game at this point - an entire console generation post-release - is player retention. And folks don't quit or not check out the game because of the fees. No doubt Blizzard will continue to smooth the road for new subscribers financially as well as in-game, but a fundamental change in the financial model? Not a chance.

An earlier post about LOTRO's shift being an act of desperation is an exaggeration, but it's very much a LOTRO solution for a game in LOTRO's shoes: LOTRO.

That last sentence needs more LOTRO.:p
 
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