Amazon and Athlon announce new LOTR MMORPG

[0ldschool]

Sorry, a bit OT for DDO, but very on topic for SSG, which is mentioned in the article. Good or bad news for SSG?

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/07...e-rings-mmorpg

[Ralmeth]

They're really late to the market given that the movies came out in the early 2000s, and thus interest in the IP would have been at its peak back then. If the new TV series does well, that could stoke some interest, but not having the MMO they are investing in having anything to do with the TV series they are investing in doesn't make any sense. I'll be surprised if it does well.

[Tyrande]

Sorry, a bit OT for DDO, but very on topic for SSG, which is mentioned in the article. Good or bad news for SSG?

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/07...e-rings-mmorpg

Isn't this last September's news? Hey, if Amazon buys LoTRO (to buyout competition) and SSG (or from SSG), they'll probably be getting Amazon shares. More development money for DDO... what's not to like?

Probably all LoTRO inventories, shared bank and character(s) will be stored on Amazon S3...if the above speculation is true.

[jskinner937]

Isn't this last September's news? Hey, if Amazon buys LoTRO (to buyout competition) and SSG (or from SSG), they'll probably be getting Amazon shares. More development money for DDO... what's not to like?

Probably all LoTRO inventories, shared bank and character(s) will be stored on Amazon S3...if the above speculation is true.

I venture to guess this is bad news for SSG. It appears that this is a separate development completely from SSG and the current LOTRO.

[C-Dog]

...It appears that this is a separate development completely from SSG and the current LOTRO.

Yes, it does appear that way...

...
Amazon made no mention of Lord of the Rings Online – an existing free-to-play MMORPG that released in 2007, based on The Lord of the Rings series and developed by Standing Stone Games. We reached out to Amazon to ask if there is any relationship between the two MMORPGs and will update this article with any information...

[droid327]

Maybe the game will suck, but all the publicity will get people excited for a LOTR MMO and they'll find LOTRO. And then maybe some will spill to DDO

Dont really think it has any major bearing either way. Not unless Amazon just tries to nuke SSG entirely to eliminate LOTRO and DDO goes down with it...

If SSG gets bought out I very much doubt Amazon will have much interest in keeping DDO going though. Its not the kind of property a big corporation likes to underwrite. They'd either just scrap it and sell the rights wherever they could...or decide to replace it with DDO 2, and screw everything up.

[SilentRunning]

Very old news, and it's not even in the same time frame as Lotro, this one is supposed to take place at a time before The Hobbit even took place, that puts it as a companion of sorts to lotro not a competitor.

[TedSandyman]

Very old news, and it's not even in the same time frame as Lotro, this one is supposed to take place at a time before The Hobbit even took place, that puts it as a companion of sorts to lotro not a competitor.

Not old news. The show is old news. Also releasing a game is new news. The new show is in the past but the new game is hobbit/lord of the rings time frame.

[Goalt]

The thing is, Jeff Bezos didn't become a multi-billionaire by making stupid decisions...

[TedSandyman]

I cannot imagine it being good news in any way for DDO.

At best, it doesn't impact anything. It will probably draw away a portion of LOTRO players. That will hurt SSG financially. How bad is to be seen.

At worst, if sony does buy SSG to shutdown competition, you can bet DDO is toast.

Anyone notice developers and management missing last week. Coincidence? Or hush hush meeting? Not to start any rumors.

[RockHeavy]

Not old news. The show is old news. Also releasing a game is new news. The new show is in the past but the new game is hobbit/lord of the rings time frame.

It is old news - it even confirms so in the linked article... "Amazon’s upcoming MMORPG is the same Lord of the Rings project that was announced last year by Athlon Games"

[LittleLexi]

Hmm...Even though I could never get into LOTRO so much -- it still has plenty to offer.

A newer game would need to have a remarkable amount of content to even come close to challenging it. But we've seen lots(far too many) projects these days -- be it games/movies/TV shows -- where, with sufficient marketing, you could sway millions to partake, even if the final product is of minimal quality.

[lyrecono]

Sorry, a bit OT for DDO, but very on topic for SSG, which is mentioned in the article. Good or bad news for SSG?

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/07...e-rings-mmorpg

Meh?
It's being developed for pc and console.....
Just like the other d&d mmo we all know.
With it's simplified controle scheme to allow for console controllers, bright sparkling trails leading to quests and it's overly simle build system and endless attempts to get you to spend money?

No thanks, for all the problems ddo has, unballanced, broken, badly geared, exploit prone, buggy mess that it is, it's still leaugesbeyond neverwinter.

Sure it will draw people away, just like it did with ddo but it is still doing ok, right?

I assume lotro has a healthier population then ddo, being more famous and all.

[GoldyGopher]

Sorry, a bit OT for DDO, but very on topic for SSG, which is mentioned in the article. Good or bad news for SSG?

https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/07...e-rings-mmorpg

When the game was first announced, about a year ago, in September 2018.

The new LOTR MMO by Athlon Games will take place a long time before the events of The One Ring Saga, which is exciting. Us fans will get to explore new lands, creatures and people never before seen in video games let alone an MMO. Because there’s such a wealth of source material in this early timeline – First Age and Second Age – we can’t wait to see what the developers come up with. Ultimately, it will be a refreshing change of pace from the overused One Ring saga period.

The game is actually licensed by Tolkien Enterprises, not Middle Earth Enterprises which controls the IP from the Hobbit to the End of the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien Enterprises controls the IP for all the other works in the Middle Earth world, including the Silmarillion and other later works.
As Christopher Tolkien is 93 or 94 I know based upon statements made last year when he released the Fall of Gondolin that it might be time to unify the rights so other deals could be in place.

The original development team, many of which worked on the game Warframe, appears to be out in loo of a new development team.

[goldgolem]

1 http://leyoutech.com.hk/ owns warframe - thats gonna be serious business - modern, proprietary & best-in-class movement engine, well loved developers and solid as hell monetisation
2 Amazon may wrap this (or their gaming component) into amazon prime, which gives any game they create incredible reach immediately
3 it will actually have marketing behind it...


But SSG have been survivors for a long time, Im sure they have seen many threats come and go

I wonder if Amazon considered buying SSG? A complete fully functioning studio that knows the stuff backwards must have been in their minds at least


EDIT: get the popcorn! Dude who heads Athlon games was at Codemasters

[Sylvado]

Amazon Direct Connect could be big in online gaming. It is scary how big Amazon is getting but it is only because they are so good at doing things.

[TedSandyman]

When the game was first announced, about a year ago, in September 2018.


The game is actually licensed by Tolkien Enterprises, not Middle Earth Enterprises which controls the IP from the Hobbit to the End of the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien Enterprises controls the IP for all the other works in the Middle Earth world, including the Silmarillion and other later works.
As Christopher Tolkien is 93 or 94 I know based upon statements made last year when he released the Fall of Gondolin that it might be time to unify the rights so other deals could be in place.

The original development team, many of which worked on the game Warframe, appears to be out in loo of a new development team.

I'm reading a very different article I guess.

https://a.msn.com/r/2/AAE8diZ?m=en-us&ocid=News

I don't know if a cut and paste will post properly. This article states it is Middle Earth Enterprises.

"This next LOTR game represents a collaboration between Amazon’s game technology and MMO developers with Leyou Technologies Holdings Limited (the game developer/publisher behind Warframe) and Middle-earth Enterprises (which licenses entertainment based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit)."

[apocaladle]

They're really late to the market given that the movies came out in the early 2000s, and thus interest in the IP would have been at its peak back then. If the new TV series does well, that could stoke some interest, but not having the MMO they are investing in having anything to do with the TV series they are investing in doesn't make any sense. I'll be surprised if it does well.

Both are sey way before lotr so although they are "not related" they will likely still have overlap and if it's marketing is funded by amazon I doubt they will have any issues selling it, especially if they lump their "vip" with a prime account.

[Loromir]

It's Amazon. Right now everything they touch turns to gold.

That being said, I suspect release is still a few years way.

[C-Dog]

Very old news, and it's not even in the same time frame as Lotro, this one is supposed to take place at a time before The Hobbit even took place, that puts it as a companion of sorts to lotro not a competitor.

Um... sorry, wrong. "LoTR" is going to be seen as LoTR, no matter what moment in the story line you place it. Perhaps similar to saying that Advanced D&D and 5th ed are so far apart in content and appeal that "D&D" fans would not be drawn in to one b/c of the other. True w/ a few fringe cases, but... not for the vast majority.

I've played LoTRO (before coming here some 7+ years ago), and they have a high bar to clear to challenge that game. It could be done, certainly, and clearly they think they can do it, but... I think the only accurate prediction is - we'll see.