Free Makes Money: LOTRO Revenue Triples

Free to play, but you're also free to pay! That's my clever motto. Here's some good news. Lord Of The Rings Online, since going free-to-play (which annoyingly abbreviates to FTP, which is already used up) has tripled its revenue. That's madness! Free things make money?! It turns everything in the world all topsy-turvy! Next they'll be saying piracy encourages sales! Which way is up?

Develop reports that Turbine's executive producer Kate Paiz is "super-pleased" with the results. That's like a regular pleased that survived a mysterious nuclear blast, and emerged somehow changed, improved. It's further proof that this is a sensible direction for MMOs to head in if they want their latter years to prove profitable, with Champions Online going that way very soon. And I'll make Quintin eat my hat if Star Trek Online doesn't announce the same at some point in 2011.