If you want something to survive, sometimes the only thing you can do is make it free.  That’s the very mathematics that Turbine used to save Dungeons and Dragons Online from extinction.  By making the game free-to-play and offering special content, perks for subscribers, and a-la-carte content for purchase, they’ve turned the game from a veritable wasteland to a veritable wonderland, with formerly deserted servers hopping and the game finally making a bit of money thanks to VIP subscribers and folks paying to unlock goodies.

Turbine is hoping this same magic will work with Lord of the Rings Online, which is set to transition from paid to f2P starting this fall.  I tried the game before the Mines of Moria expansion and found it to be a disappointment and not worth paying for, but if it’s free?  Well, that’s a horse of a different color!

It seems as though only the basic game will be free, and expansions, certain character classes, and certain special weapons will be available for purchase, with Founders and Lifetime Members getting access to perks far beyond those of normal freeps.  If free play and up-front pricing works for Guild Wars (and it does), then I don’t see why it wouldn’t work for a stronger property like LotRO.

It’s really weird to see a AAA title like LotRO go f2P, since it was the 2009 MMO of the Year and has a very strong subscription base.  Then again, the best time to make a move like this is when you’re still in a position of strength and have a devoted core willing to pay for the game (and recruit others who might end up paying for the game).  Now if only World of Warcraft would do this!