Some fairly recent news has emerged that Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) is going to have a free-to-play (F2P) option added. This has surprised quite a few people, but here’s why they’ve made the move: It’s The Smart Thing To Do Turbine obviously has the experience of Dungeons and Dragons Online experiencing 500% … Continue reading
Filed under Money …
APB: Collecting Money Is Important
Although there are always cases of companies doing TOO well in collecting money from players, one of the quickest ways a MMO folds is if they can’t get enough income to keep the doors open. As such, putting thought into how that payment model should be structured is critical. Hellgate: London stands out as a … Continue reading
Did UbiSoft’s DRM System Work?
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is a controversial issue, with hyperbole on both the pro- and anti-sides. Stripped of rhetoric, it’s actually a cost-vs-benefit issue: how many PC players are developers willing to irritate (cost) in exchange for reducing day 1 piracy (benefit)? what benefits do the PC gamers get in exchange for having to meet … Continue reading
How Many Players Does CoH/V Have in Q1, 2010?
NCsoft has released their financials for Q1 2010. Following up on my earlier post about City of Heroes / Villains’ performance, I’ve had a look. Sadly, results aren’t good. Chartreuse In Q1 2010, CoH/V recorded 3 348 m Won (about US $2.94m) – it’s lowest quarterly revenue to date. Previously, it was the Q4 2009 … Continue reading
How Many Players Does Aion Have in Q1 2010?
I’m going to look at how City of Heroes / City of Villains faired in Q1 2010 in a little while, but news that Aion is going to be closing some servers in North America and Europe means this is a bit more pressing. NCsoft’s Q1 2010 financials are out and paint an interesting picture. … Continue reading
Black Eyes Before Debut for Warhammer 40K
With the Warhammer 40K MMO from Vigil Games debuting at E3 this year, I’m sure that publisher THQ wanted a nice clear run at building some heat for this title. Warhammer Online from Mythic is dying a slow death – WAR is shutting down in parts of Asia and there is plenty of consolidation on … Continue reading
The Mythic Store Is Closed; Please Shop Elsewhere
Due to a business decision, the Mythic Store is now closed. For those who never went (and I didn’t), the Mythic Store sold shirts, hats and other apparel labelled with their games – Warhammer Online, Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot. It’s just another piece of evidence that Mythic is slowly being wound back … Continue reading
Warner Brothers Buys Turbine; Probably Not Releasing The Matrix Online 2
It’s all over the place, but Warner Brothers has bought Turbine studios for up to $160 million (including performance payments). Following declines in other areas, WB appears to be looking at gaming to generate some big money for it, no doubt leveraging the wide range of intellectual property WB has, including DC Comics, what came … Continue reading
The Future of Twitter
Twitter is a social media and, like all social media, people struggle to come up with ideas to make money from it. Twitter is also a broadcast media, with a permission basis – someone broadcasts something and followers have signed up to see that broadcast. Hashtags helps people find tweets on a common topic. So, … Continue reading
Warhammer Online Does The Worst Possible Thing
Something goes horribly, horribly wrong with Warhammer Online’s payment system and both existing and ex-players see multiple charges appear on their bank balances. Worse than that, multiple, multiple payments. Payment times ten, times twenty, or even more. You can release a bad patch, filled with bugs and game changes that everyone hates, but in the … Continue reading
World Class Villains 