Turbine: Lord of the Rings Online monthly revenue has tripled thanks to freemium

It may sound counterintuitive, but it seems that going free is a great way to make money. On the Ten Ton Hammer podcast, Turbine's Adam Mersky announced that monthly revenue has tripled for Lord of the Rings Online since the game went free-to-play in September — "which is obviously making us very happy." The effects of the freemium transition were already noticeable in October, when revenue doubled.

Executive producer Kate Paiz said that Turbine is "super-pleased" with the response to the change. "We're getting so many new players in and the world feels alive and vibrant." We're convinced. Starting right now, Joystiq is going free-to-read. No longer will you have to pay a monthly subscription fee to read our content. We're looking into microtransaction-based quests and weapons.