I’ve been speculating for a while now that there is more to this delay of Lord of the Rings Online in Europe than Codemasters has been explaining. On my earlier articles, I noted my thoughts that Turbine had something to do with the delays, although my assumption that Turbine was attempting to take back LOTRO in Europe was obviously incorrect. Codemasters’ General Manager David Solari put out a notice today that the issues were not, in fact, technical, and that Codemasters was having contractual issues that were delaying the launch of LOTRO F2P EU.
“This is the reason why we have been unable to provide you with any substantial information as to when we will go Free-to-Play, despite the desire to share this with you.
Unfortunately a contract was required in order to go Free-to-Play and this has taken much longer to conclude than expected.”
My money says this can be traced back to money, namely how much Turbine wanted in royalties and how much Codemasters wanted to pay under the new contract. Either way, the contract has been concluded, and Codemasters is on their way to a full free to play launch.
We can confirm the launch is imminent and we should be able to announce the dates later this week/early next week.
You can read the rest of Solari’s comments at the above link. More on Lord of the Rings Online as it appears.
MMO Fallout 
LOtRO Free-to-Play is a BIG FAT LIE.
You able to play for free until u reach lvl 25-30, then BOOM! Every time you going into new areas/maps over lvl30, u have to bought it.Also many many items free for all, its ONLY purchasable for F2P accounts. So, where’s F2P dears?Why won’t write down with details ”You are free to play till level 30 ONLY. After 30 you MUST purchase the game/expansions/quest packs.
Hi Jesn,
You could not be further from the truth. Free to play used to refer mainly to Asian grinders that required no subscription, but offered buffs like extra experience and easier access to armor for cash. You didn’t have to use the services, but you could if you had the money.
This is something I’ve dabbled with briefly, and is a topic I am working on diligently for a series of articles I have drafted, but Turbine has played a large part in distorting the idea of free to play, although it isn’t fully their fault. Right now a game is either free to play or subscription, and because Lord of the Rings isn’t mandatory subscription, the industry will call it free to play. Updating the terminology is something that the industry needs to adopt, and quite honestly I don’t think they will, as “free to play” sounds a lot better than Turbine’s actual system, which is “pay as you go.” The current system is more like AT&T telling you that your phone is “free to call” until you realize that the only numbers you can call are emergency, operator, and information.
The past few years have brought in so many new systems, that the lines between free to play and subscription games is thinning. We now have subscription MMOs with non-vanity cash shops, subscription MMOs with “endless trials,” not to mention cash shop MMOs with optional VIP systems.
This is why my stance on the “Turbine will kill subscription MMOs” has been gross refusal. Turbine isn’t going to kill subscriptions, because all Turbine has done is shown other developers that they can rope in a lot more customers by opening up a large portion of the game, calling the whole thing free to play, and setting up an extensive cash shop.
At the end of the day, however, Turbine is a business. They exist to make money, and in this market money is made by keeping a big smile on your face to ensure that the person paying feels like they’re getting a good enough deal to keep paying regularly. So I know I’m going to piss some people off when I say my problem lies with the terminology, and that I don’t see any glaring issues with Turbine’s money making policies. Free to play/Pay to play are both obsolete terms, and like any tradition, this is going to be a long and difficult road to break.
Hopefully I’ve made a point somewhere in that.
-Omali