Yes, that's right. Standing Stones Games, a new independent studio, has purchased both Dungeons and Dragons Online and Lord of the Rings Online from Turbine.
I guess that means that Warner Brothers won't be involved (directly) with either game's future.
Here's the release found on LOTRO.com.
As for what this means in the future, I guess we'll find out. But one thing is certain: corporate WB won't be dictating layoffs to the LOTRO staff. Of course, that means that if LOTRO doesn't continue with a decent revenue stream it'll have a direct impact to the staffing (small businesses feel that more acutely than large ones), but political shenanigans from WB corporate won't have a direct impact on the game(s).
I'm going to have to figure out what's up with my new "premier membership" or whatever it is. I suspect that since I'd bought some Turbine Points months and months ago to get some milestones (I was tired of taking upwards of 1/2 hour to ride from Rivendell to Forochel) that I suddenly got bumped up into a middle level tier where I have a lot more character slots per server. I'll see what other surprises await me going forward.
I guess that means that Warner Brothers won't be involved (directly) with either game's future.
Here's the release found on LOTRO.com.
As for what this means in the future, I guess we'll find out. But one thing is certain: corporate WB won't be dictating layoffs to the LOTRO staff. Of course, that means that if LOTRO doesn't continue with a decent revenue stream it'll have a direct impact to the staffing (small businesses feel that more acutely than large ones), but political shenanigans from WB corporate won't have a direct impact on the game(s).
I'm going to have to figure out what's up with my new "premier membership" or whatever it is. I suspect that since I'd bought some Turbine Points months and months ago to get some milestones (I was tired of taking upwards of 1/2 hour to ride from Rivendell to Forochel) that I suddenly got bumped up into a middle level tier where I have a lot more character slots per server. I'll see what other surprises await me going forward.
Heh, it's interesting that nobody (your title excluded) mourns the loss of Turbine. And indeed, Cordovan has confirmed that this means they have nothing to do with WB anymore.
ReplyDeleteWhat's "premier membership"? This is the first time I'm reading something about tiers. I was under the impression from the FAQ that those kind of things would be business as usual for the forseeable future.
I thought so too, but I saw 3 of 8 slots available and was puzzled. I know the mini-Reds pooled Turbine points to get an extra toon slot available for the server migrations, but unless this is a goof there's something else afoot.
DeleteAnd honestly I prefer having Warner Brothers out of the staffing loop. I don't quite trust the suits to understand the genre beyond its "monetization capability".
DeleteHmm, interesting.
DeleteAgreed. Everybody is celebrating that WB is out of the picture because they didn't care about LOTRO - now we just have to hope the game makes enough revenue itself.
Same here. I'm hoping the same thing, because I keep looking at Hasbro's ownership of Wizards of the Coast and wondering what the Hasborg's suits have in mind for Dungeons and Dragons. (Magic: The Gathering, not so much, as they make a ton of money for Hasbro.)
Delete