LOTRO: Update 28 - War of Three Peaks
Players of the popular MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online were informed just 24 hours ago by developers Standing Stone Games, that the new “mini expansion” would be released today. Under normal circumstances, Update 28 - War of Three Peaks would have just been marketed as a content update and have been free to VIP subscribers, lifetime account holders and purchasable with LOTRO points by F2P players. However, these are far from normal circumstances. From March to May this year, LOTRO enjoyed a major renaissance as the lockdown brought players back to the game. SSG felt so confident in this surge in the playerbase that they made all previous updates available for free. However throughout June, July and August the game suffered major technical problems that lead to the majority of game servers being down for weeks. During that time many players took their business elsewhere or at the very least deferred subscribing until the technical issues were resolved. This left a major hole in SSG’s finances, hence the latest update miraculously became a chargeable “mini expansion”.
A month ago the new update was previewed on the Bullroarer test server and it became clear that it was just more of the same. IE Just another zone with multiple quest hubs. Essentially the same sort of material that SSG have been producing for the last few years. So if this was to be sold as a “mini expansion” then there would have to be some additional content included as well to justify selling it. Hence, the LOTRO community braced themselves as they awaited the pricing details for the War of Three Peaks, as Update 28 has been formally named. SSG usually sells three versions of an expansion. A Standard Edition, a Collector’s Edition and an Ultimate Fan Bundle. It should be noted there have been controversies in the past over previous legitimate expansions and their respective value for money. Oddly enough, SSG decided not to announce the price or exact content of all three editions until today when the “mini expansion” formally launched. However, marketing emails were sent out to some players so the pricing of the three editions became known by midday.
As you can see, the pricing for this mini expansion” is broadly comparable to the previous full expansion Minas Morgul. Considering that War of Three Peaks is just the size of a regular content update, the prices are exorbitant. The Standard Edition is the only one that I will even consider buying as there are insufficient extras in the other two versions to justify their cost. There has already been a degree of “pushback” over on the official LOTRO forums as players voice their displeasure at the pricing and the entire way this situation has been handled. I suspect that if the outcry is big enough, you may find SSG adding additional content to the Collector’s Edition and Ultimate Fan Bundle to try and redress the balance. But there are wider issues here beyond the mere price of this “mini expansion”. Are we about to see a major restructuring of the games business model? If so, is this change in policy down to SSG or their publisher (and potentially owners) Daybreak Game Company?
Charging all LOTRO players for future content updates may well become the “new normal”. Up until now, content updates have been free to subscribers and lifetime account holders. F2P players would purchase Quest Packs for new zones. However this may not have proven especially profitable. When I play LOTRO I subscribe a month at a time. The monthly fee is £9. Quest Packs cost on average 795 LOTRO points (approximately £8). During the course of a month I could play through two or three zones, making a subscription a lot more economical than buying all the respective Quest Packs. Furthermore, lifetime account holders have always received (up to now) access to all new content updates free of charge, so SSG has never made any revenue of this type from this section of the LOTRO community. It has often been argued that lifetime accounts for LOTRO were sold too prolifically during the game’s early years and as a result there is a large percentage of players that do not have to spend any money except for major expansions. If these current practises cease and everyone who plays has to buy new content three times a year then there is scope for SSG to increase their revenue.
However, if the sale of all new content became mandatory, it would invalidate the need for a monthly subscription. At present the only real advantage of subbing is free access to new content and the following additional services. Mailbox Field Access. Custom character portrait frame. Access All Character Trait Slots. Daily +100% XP*. 500 LOTRO Points per month. Free weekly Gold Hobbit Present.Access All Quest Packs and Skirmishes*. Access All Monster Classes. Many of these could be sold individually via the LOTRO store or bundled into a “starter pack” or something similar. The stipend of LOTRO points is a nice bonus and one that I enjoy but it is totally dependent on a subscription. It therefore isn’t really “free” but more of a quid pro quo. It should be noted that the MMORPG Star Trek Online removed subscriptions as of Spring 2018. Many of the benefits that came with subbing to that game simply became one off purchases.
All things considered, perhaps the release of War of Three Peaks as a “mini expansion” is more than just a short term fiscal adjustment, designed to fill a shortfall in the quarterly balance sheet. It may be part of a complete recalibration of the business model for LOTRO and a way to ensure that all players pay equally for the new future content that comes to the game. If that is the case then SSG needs to ensure that all updates meet a high standard. The LOTRO community is very supportive of the game and has more than its share of “whales” who buy cosmetic items prodigiously. However, potential changes such as these indeed to be implemented carefully and require adept community relations, marketing and PR to effectively sell them to the players. Skills that SSG are not renown for. It will be interesting to see how things pan out in the weeks to come. Firstly with the immediate reception of the new “mini expansion” and its respective value for money. Secondly, whether SSG formally announce a revision of the game’s business model. All of which could be a turning point for LOTRO but whether for good or ill remains to be seen.
