It has been about a month since Turbine switched Lord of the Rings Online from a subscription-based MMO to a free-to-play one, and apparently the change has paid off. According to Joystiq, Lord of the Rings Online Executive Producer Kate Paiz said during a GDC Online 2010 panel that revenue from the game has doubled.
Paiz, who also oversaw the transition of Turbine’s Dungeons & Dragons Online to a free-to-play model, says that 20 percent of former LOTRO players have returned since the switch and that there has been a 400 percent increase in active players total. 53 percent of players have made a microtransaction in the in-game store, and paid subscriptions have increased as well.
Paiz says that the switch shouldn’t be taken as a sign that the aging MMO was in trouble. Rather, the company simply believed that the switch would work as it worked for Dungeons & Dragons Online, which saw a 500 percent boost in revenues after making a similiar transition.
