Lord of the Rings Online to go free-to-play

News Bot · 06-04-2010, 22:50

Warner Bros. is to make its recently acquired flagship MMO game free to play this fall, beta to start June 16.

Massively multiplayer online role-playing game Lord of the Rings Online is to go free-to-play, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Codemasters announced today. This will make LOTRO Warner Bros.' second free-to-play MMO game, after the successful switch away from a subscription model for Dungeons & Dragons Online last year.

No word on whether WBIE plans to charge extra for torches.

Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar was released to critical acclaim in 2007, with expansions following in 2008 and 2009. Subscriptions to play currently cost up to $15 a month. The game will be free to play, but a new online LOTRO store will allow players to purchase "expansions, quest packs, items, and account services a la carte," according to Warner Bros. As with DDO, players will also be able to buy a VIP package, which gives players access to all of the premium features for one price--though the price itself was not revealed.

The project will be among the first overseen by Jeff Junge, WBIE's newly appointed senior vice president of online games and digital games platforms. Junge was given responsibility for the firm's entire digital games business in May. Codemasters will continue to publish the title in Europe alongside DDO, which it also publishes in the region.

LOTRO is developed by Turbine, which WBIE acquired in April to consolidate its control of the Lord of the Rings gaming licences. The acquisition followed Warner's reacquisition of non-MMO game rights to the franchise in March 2009. LOTRO was originally published by the now-defunct Midway Games.

The move will see LOTRO and its expansions disappear from store shelves, as all the distribution will be done through the new LOTRO online store. WBIE has said that the free-to-play version of the MMO game will be available to play at the Electronic Entertainment Expo later this month.

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"Lord of the Rings Online to go free-to-play" was posted by Alex Sassoon Coby on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 08:48:37 -0700

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MarieWoodell · 06-14-2010, 10:14

Sweeet. Really excited about this. I used to play it when it was in beta originally but couldn't afford the subscription when it came abck. If it's going to be free to play I will be able to play again. Yay!

simplegame · 06-19-2010, 11:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarieWoodell

Sweeet. Really excited about this. I used to play it when it was in beta originally but couldn't afford the subscription when it came abck. If it's going to be free to play I will be able to play again. Yay!

Hope It's free for ever!

Dredge · 06-20-2010, 18:03

This is a game that i've been thinking about trying for ages. I will definately be giving it a go when it's free to play

MarieWoodell · 06-20-2010, 20:47

I've actually started playing again already. There is a 14 day free trial for europe through codemasters and a 10day free trial for usa through turbine. It limits a few things like mail and auction but its a good way to get your feet wet and decide whether you will pursue it when it goes proper free to play.

Dredge · 07-14-2010, 20:05

Thanks for the heads up on the free trial.

I played it for the 14 days and really enjoyed it, will probably have another look when it goes free to play.

MarieWoodell · 07-15-2010, 10:07

Yeah I was gutted when my free trial ran out. I played it with a few friends all using the free trial at the same time. It was actually surprisingly more fun when there were lots of us.