Why Turbine Saved The Industry: The Safety Net of Free To Play


Here at MMO Fallout, I don’t think it is any surprise that Turbine is essentially my deity, and for numerous reasons. The one I’d like to get into today is what I call The Great Safety Net, not invented but popularized by Turbine. Before Dungeons and Dragons Online went free to play as a saving … Continue reading “Why Turbine Saved The Industry: The Safety Net of Free To Play”

Relevance In IP: Relevance In Market


    Back in my “autopsy” of The Matrix Online, I mentioned that the game’s poor reception had a lot to do with timing: the game being released in a time where the third movie had come out and did its part trashing public interest in the franchise. Adding to that, the game was never … Continue reading “Relevance In IP: Relevance In Market”

LotRO America Seals Deal Sucking In EU Players…


MMO players are subjectively patient. As any player can tell you, delays happen for many reasons. An update that wasn’t tested properly, a wayward system that was unable to handle the server load, maintenance that had to be extended longer than expected. As players, however, we have our temporary ways around this system. Our server … Continue reading “LotRO America Seals Deal Sucking In EU Players…”

Trolls Beware: Lord Of The Rings Online Is Thriving


There is still a group of players who cling to the old ideology that free equates to terrible community, imminent shut down, and dying developer. I don’t think I need to count out how many people were screaming on forums before the Lord of the Rings Online free to play shift about how this would … Continue reading “Trolls Beware: Lord Of The Rings Online Is Thriving”

Lineage II Merger: One Final Server


[UPDATE] Since this article has recently started receiving a high amount of traffic, I want to point out that the information below was true as of this article’s publication (September 10, 2010) and that more up to date data can be found in the Lineage 2 category. Lineage II is one of NCsoft’s biggest hits, scoring … Continue reading “Lineage II Merger: One Final Server”

Crafting Crime With Crime Craft: A 1 Year Look


Crimecraft launched in August 2009 to not-so-huge fanfaire over the persistent-lobby-based-shooter-on-the-Unreal-3-Engine. A modest title by any means, Vogster quickly moved the game from a subscription base to a free to play cash shop system, not unlike the Turbine model, and since then the game has been trucking along with a healthy population, healthy enough to … Continue reading “Crafting Crime With Crime Craft: A 1 Year Look”

All Points Bulletin: You Are Dead, Not Big Surprise.


I’m going to inject a little politics into MMO Fallout when I say that, much like when former President George W. Bush gave a direct warning to the terrorists “bring it on,” Dave Jones’ prediction and seeming lack of care that All Points Bulletin would receive poor reviews was less than intelligent. Although here at … Continue reading “All Points Bulletin: You Are Dead, Not Big Surprise.”

I Can’t Do This Alone: I’m Sick Of The MMO Stigma


Two months ago, I changed the “Month in Review” category to a monthly review called “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” and at the time I promised all of you that I would explain my reasons at a later date. As at least one person has pointed out, the legacy “Month in review” articles have been completely … Continue reading “I Can’t Do This Alone: I’m Sick Of The MMO Stigma”

I Can't Do This Alone: I'm Sick Of The MMO Stigma


Two months ago, I changed the “Month in Review” category to a monthly review called “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” and at the time I promised all of you that I would explain my reasons at a later date. As at least one person has pointed out, the legacy “Month in review” articles have been completely … Continue reading “I Can't Do This Alone: I'm Sick Of The MMO Stigma”