I just signed onto my DDO game and got this message about DDO and LOTR being transferred to a new indie outfit called “Standing Stone Games”. There is more info about what happened and why in this Gamasutra article that just came out.
It seems that Turbine is getting out of the MMORPG business entirely, and concentrating almost totally on FTP(Free-To-Play) games.
I’m mildly surprised that either game still exists. Are they still putting out content releases, etc? I used to play LoTRO back when it launched and for maybe a year after but lost interest and haven’t heard much about either title since (except for when LoTRO went F2P).
Daybreak owns Everquest these days and people complain about them but it’s not as though they didn’t complain about SOE or Verant.
I was an avid DDO player years ago but lost interest when I ran into too many pay more money to advance situations.
It looks like it will be business as usual…for now.
DDO is still going strong, with frequent content releases. I play the free version, but I get many opportunities to advance, and have reached 18th level easily without having to pay a dime for extras.
LotRO just released their Gondor expansion thing not real long ago, so it’s still getting updated as well. I’d actually go so far as to suggest that the game is HEALTHY.
I’ve been playing LotRO for years, through 19 updates (each adding new areas and raising the maximum level.)
I’m hopeful that there’s years left in the game.
Cool. Good for them.
My arc with that game was to play it at launch and enjoy it well enough. Wasn’t worlds different from other similar games but it looked nice at the time and had some fresh ideas. Then I tried the MvP game and got hooked. Loved it. But I always played Creep and the developers have no idea (or interest, one or the other) in how to balance it. There was an ever increasing number of max level PCs who had nothing else to do but roll the Creeps and then voice chat cheaters and farmers, etc. Then Creep nerfs and eventually it just wasn’t fun any longer. I was disappointed enough in that that returning to the core game wasn’t enticing and I just dropped out entirely.
I miss LotRO and my stout Hobbit Guardian sometimes but most of the fun I had came from the great guild I was in, now long-disbanded. The last time I logged in it just made me sad. 
I still technically play DDO, I just haven’t gotten around to it in forever. That game is still fun. Love my cleric.
I really enjoyed leveling a hobbit through the Shire but once I moved onto Bree I just lost interest.
I continue to play DDO, which is still alive and kicking. Population is down compared to years ago, of course, but they’re still updating classes and adding new content. The next update is tomorrow morning, which I think includes a new quest. So that’s always nice.
They say they still plan to release a Ravenloft expansion late next year. That would be their third expansion.
Good to hear.
Maybe I will resurrect my character in the New Year. My 3 kids have moved on to their own games so hopefully I’ll have more time to myself to do some gaming on my own.
Do you guys have a regular schedule of when you’re online?