Overly Positive

Today comes the news from Turbine that like its other product, Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online will be going free to play in the autumn. LOTRO’s enjoyed a particular brand of success in a rather hostile MMO-verse, avoiding server merges, decreasing population, and lessening appeal to carve out its own niche in the market. Part of this might be atttributed to the fact that Tolkien’s universe, where hairy feet are the norm and wizards are, well….everything wizards should be (old, powerful, and occasionally hilarious) is appealing to its subscribers, but I’d like to think that a strong system of classes and encounters on par with those read about in the books kind of help.

I can’t say this is a bad thing. There’s a lot of apprehension over the microtransaction model, mostly surrounding the fact that it is somewhat viewed to be a system in which the financially richest will create a gap insurmountable by those less inclined or able to pay. The way I look at it, the creation of alternative subscription models should be a welcome change. I think we all know that lack of competitive models means, ultimately, complacency, something I can’t blame. After all, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The relative success of DDO’s model of microtransactions means that there is a way for the model to exist in today’s market, so why not try it with another title? The conversion to the F2P-with-optional-purchases model creates player volume and the option for people to enhance characters at their own whim rather than at the whim of the subscription fee.

Not that traditional subscription fees are going anywhere. There are plenty of games out there for which they make a bit more sense for, World of Warcraft and its store notwithstanding. But LOTRO’s move to the F2P model means that subscription-based models will have to think a bit harder about the benefits they offer for a flat fee versus one that offers fees as an optional idea. Could the players benefit from such response to competition? I’d like to think so.

Anyway, you really can’t beat free, and lots of players on the fence about trying the game will flock to LOTRO to give it a whirl. Sadly, my skills as a Minstrel probably reflect how good I’d be at playing the lute in real life (that is to say, playing it much like the sound a dying whale might make), so I won’t be one of them – but I look forward to the faithful who’ve subbed, who’ll receive a bit of benefit from the new model (like a monthly credit of points to buy shinies with), and who will make some new friends. Good work, Turbine, I say.