Console MMO Games

Console MMO Games

Turbine Studios, developer of The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), backed up the suggestion that LOTRO was coming to Xbox 360, but there's been nothing to back that up until now (May 2009). This adds to a rapidly-expanding list of console MMOs that includes The Agency, DC Universe Online and the recently-announced Bioware epic Dragon Age.

The Agency

Free-to-play MMOs on consoles

The free-to-play (F2P) MMO business model as it presently stands in N. America and Europe is still strides behind what exists in Asia, but F2P is clearly making inroads in the West. What's less clear is how the free-to-play business model will evolve in the coming years.

An interview with Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard (May 2009) points to a few directions that free-to-play may take. It's safe to say Gerhard knows a fair amount about the state of free-to-play games; RuneScape boasts millions of players and is a major success story with this business model. Gerhard specifically highlights his views on bringing free-to-play MMOs to consoles.

Technological hurdles aside, Gerhard focuses on the business model applied to consoles and the industry's resistance to the concept of truly free-to-play titles appearing on Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.

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