There has been a suspicion lately that Lord of the Rings Online was going to a “free to play” hybrid model due to the success that Turbine saw by doing this with DDO. It has just been announced that that is indeed the case. Lord of the Rings Online is now free to play (but not really yet)! Much like with DDO, players of LotRO will be getting a store specific to their title. This still will offer a host of additional items, services and conveniences. Given how popular LotRO has become lately I imagine this will only grow the player base.
This hybrid model of free to play with the option to subscribe just might be the future of all MMORPGs and Turbine seems to have struck gold with it. Obviously it is too soon to tell whether it will be successful in LotRO but I can’t imagine it won’t be. I’ll certainly install the game again now that I can log in on occasion and play for free. Through my normal course of play with these titles I always end up buying a little something. It might not be $15 a month but it is certainly more than I’m spending now. Giving players the option to always log into a title is just brilliant. Subscribing always seems like a commitment but just being able to log in gives Turbine a lot of business opportunity. My willpower is only so strong. Sooner or later I’ll be dropping cash in that store! The beta starts shortly and we should see this go live in the fall!
For more details check out these links:
Press Release
FAQ
VIP Chart
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