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Codemasters comes clean on LotRO EU's free-to-play delay
Lord of the Rings Online players are well aware that something has been rotten in the state of Denmark -- and the rest of Europe -- with the lengthy and unexplained delay in rolling out the new free-to-play update in the region. While we've speculated on the cause, Codemasters has been cagey and non-specific during the past month and a half, only promising that a solution was coming "soon." That changed today, as general manager David Solari posted a letter on the LotRO EU forums clarifying the situation. It turns out that the hold-up was due to legal rather than technical obstacles: "As many of you correctly surmised, the issues have been contractual rather than technical. As they were contractual issues, we are bound by confidentiality and you will understand that I can't give you any further detail... Unfortunately a contract was required in order to go free-to-play and this has taken much longer to conclude than expected. The good news is that the contractual issues have been resolved and we are on the home stretch." Solari promised more information later this week, claiming that the F2P launch is "imminent." Codemasters is in charge of operating Lord of the Rings Online in the region while Turbine handles the responsibility in North America. You can read the full letter over at the LotRO EU forums.
Codemasters plans to bring MMO development in-house
Well-known European games publisher Codemasters has announced that they plan to move some MMO development in-house. The company currently acts as publisher for a number of Western massively multiplayer games, such as Lord of the Rings Online and Jumpgate Evolution. It also acts as an EU partner for the Korean games and RF OnlineArchlord. Today vice president of Codemasters Online Gaming David Solari has informed GamesIndustry.biz that in-house development was 'always a part of the plan.'In a lengthy interview with the site, Solari notes that entering the PC MMO marketplace is a daunting task - but they feel they're prepared. The numerous games they've licensed will give them an edge, and has given them a great sense of where the industry is going. His concluding statement is especially interesting, given recent comments by Bobby Kotick in the growing tit-for-tat war between EA and Activision/Blizzard. "I don't think you can compete with Warcraft. In two or three year's there will be something else that will be able to compete with Warcraft but nobody will be able to tell you what that is now. Chucking money at something isn't the answer."
Codemasters looking to publish two console MMOs
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Codemasters has made it known that there are two MMO titles for consoles that they are in talks to publish. Codemasters has done well as the European distributor of Lord of the Rings Online, and they will be publishing the anticipated Jumpgate Evolution later in the year. These and other MMO ventures have led them to explore new possibilities in the home console market.David Solari, vice-president and general manager of Codemasters Online Gaming, said, "the time is right for some good console MMO games", but also admitted, "it's a little more challenging because of the restrictions of a console -- certain games aren't going to work". Right now they're working on making sure that they pick the right games to bring over. They hope to enter the market within the coming year, putting their titles up against other MMOs that are moving into console territory, like The Agency and Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.
