The announcement of a new MMORPG in the world of The Lord of the Rings has caused some confusion. What will happen to The Lord of the Rings Online? According to Middle Earth Enterprises, the online game should be safe.
Two MMORPGs in the same scenario? Can that work? Players are skeptical. But the rights holders are trying to reassure.
Competition for LotRO?
What happened? A few weeks ago, the Chinese company Leyou Technologies announced that it would develop a new MMORPG based on The Lord of the Rings in collaboration with Middle Earth Enterprises and the newly founded game studio Athlon. This game will utilize the free-to-play model and is set before the events of the War of the Ring,
A map excerpt on the Athlon website shows the area where the MMO could take place. The announcement particularly confused fans of the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online, which has been running since 2007. Would there be two parallel online role-playing games in the same scenario?
What the rights holders say: Middle Earth Enterprises manages the rights around the works of author J.R.R. Tolkien, including The Lord of the Rings. A fan wrote to the company asking what would happen to The Lord of the Rings Online when the new game is released.
According to Middle Earth Enterprises, fans of LotRO do not need to worry. They are satisfied with the MMORPG and see no need to replace it with the new title. Both games are expected to coexist.
Fans remain skeptical
This is how players react: In the official forum of The Lord of the Rings Online, there is some skepticism. Fans are still unsure how the new title will affect LotRO. Some fear that new technologies and a more modern gameplay could attract players to the new MMO.
Others believe that Middle Earth Enterprises wants to wait and see which of the games is more profitable. However, there are also voices that say we should first wait to see how the MMO from Athlon plays out. How will the cash shop be integrated into the title? Is the game even aimed at the western market?
For Middle Earth Enterprises, it makes sense to smooth things over and continue operating LotRO. At least until it is determined whether the new MMO performs better. Many fear that these assurances are merely PR platitudes intended to calm current players.
What could happen? Right now, it is too early to speculate on whether the new MMO could surpass LotRO. Currently, we simply do not know enough about the game.
If it really turns out to be an AAA MMORPG with modern graphics and modern gameplay, then it is conceivable that LotRO may face difficulties.
However, it is still unclear whether the new MMO will also follow the theme park model and offer quests or if it may become one of the currently popular sandbox survival online games. As such, it could potentially coexist alongside LotRO.
In addition, the developers of The Lord of the Rings Online are still working on new content to keep the game interesting for a long time. For now, fans have no choice but to wait and see what kind of game is coming for them and how it will establish itself in the market upon release.
