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Lord of the Rings Online Revenue Doubles Since Going F2P

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More good news from Turbine! The Executive Producer of The Lord of the Rings Online, Kate Paiz, announced revenues for the game had doubled since the formerly subscription based MMORPG went free to play. She made the announcement at a panel held during the Game Developers Conference which is currently going on in Austin, Texas.

Another interseting tidbit, 20% of LOTRO’s former players returned to the game since it made the switch to f2p. Concurrent user numbers have increased 300%, and the total number of active players has swelled 400%.

Teach Sauron a Lesson – For Free!

53% of players have used the in-game shop which sells additional character slots, experience potions, and other premium goodies. Even the total number of payed subscriptions has increased. While the game has gone free to play, an optional subscription is still available which unlocks plenty of features. Some of the most popular items in the cash shop thus far have been stat boosters called tomes, increased storage, the riding skill, and the Mines of Moria expansion.

DDO Went F2P in 2009

Kate Paiz also oversaw the conversion of Dungeons and Dragons Online from a subscription game to a free to play title back in 2009. DDO also benefited greatly from the conversion, but unlike DDO, LoTRO was in relatively health shape. The decision to go F2P wasn’t made out of desperation. It was a calculated move to increase the playerbase and revenues. It worked.

Turbine was bought by Warner Brothers earlier this year. Their first title was Asheron’s Call, one of the first 3D MMORPGs ever released. Over a decade later, Turbine is still setting the trends for the MMORPG industry. That’s impressive.

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