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One million new adventurers in Dungeons and Dragons Online
For all that the Penny Arcade guys may have made a joke about the old Dungeons and Dragons Online format, there's no disputing that the change to a hybrid free-to-play model has given the game a new lease on life. Groups aren't hard to find; the cities are bustling; and players have great things to say about their hybrid model which allows you to either work for rewards or pay a small fee for the level of content you want. Add to that Turbine's wonderful graphics and passionate devotion to their games -- and player-base -- and you can see why Dungeons and Dragons Online is just getting better.That's why it should come as no surprise to hear that since relaunching as a hybrid F2P in September, DDO has managed to amass more than 1 million new players who had never played the game before. According to Turbine, there are over twice as many paid subscribers as there were prior to the change. The revenue from DDO store transactions is now also over 500% -- three times the industry standard for similar titles!
Turbine's CEO talks consoles
In continuing cross-platform MMO news, Turbine has expanded their views on plans to bring current and future projects to the console market. During a recent interview with Gamasutra, Turbine's CEO Jim Crowley spoke of the reasoning behind bringing MMOs to a console, and the future of the PC retail market.Most of the recent push for console projects from otherwise PC-based games (like MMOs) arises for a few reasons. First, there's global allure. In the Eastern world, consoles are king. In order to appeal to that market, you need to bring your title to the platform which is most popular in a region with so many hardcore gamers. Secondly, as Crowley states, "There is irrefutable data that exists that [shows that] the willingness of retailers to support PC inventory has been decreasing with time." This isn't to say that Turbine believes the PC is a dying platform. "We have a wonderful business built on the PC platform; it's a growing and exciting business," he says.
Turbine raises chunk of cash, working on new title?
In an interesting story from a company we haven't heard much about recently, Turbine (who you might remember from such MMOs as Asheron's Call, D&D Online, and Lord of the Rings Online) announced yesterday that they've raised $40 million in capital funding from Time Warner and the GGV Capital, amongst others. Says CEO and President Jim Crowley, "This is a truly exciting time for Turbine."While it's hard to argue with the fact that more money is a good thing, what is less clear is what sort of pitch the company made that warranted this infusion of sweet green moolah. Their release mentions a "growing portfolio of games" and bringing new titles to market, but this is the first we've heard of potential new development from the Massachusetts-based developer. One can't help but wonder what's next for Turbine. Mayhaps a superhero game to compete with the next biggest independent developer on the other coast? Only time will tell.
Turbine is selected as one of the northeast's top 100 companies
Turbine, the maker of MMOs Dungeons and Dragons Online, Lord of the Rings Online, and Asheron's Call, has been honored in Boston, MA as one of the Northeast's Top 100 Companies. The requirements for selection granted over 500 companies a close look by the judges. This contest was not contained to MMOs or even computer games. This was a selection ranging from banks to investment firms. Each company "had to demonstrate leadership among their peers in the following areas: innovation, market opportunity, commercialization, media buzz, and stakeholder value creation." That certainly crosses the threshold of addicting the masses to gathering boar snouts all day!So, what did Turbine have to do to receive this honor? Obviously more than just designing online worlds; they had to prove they were worth their two cents on the market as well. Turbine managed to pull it off and CEO Jim Crowley made was happy to accept the honors. He remarked, "We are honored to be selected as one of the top 100 companies in the Northeast as it is a real validation of our success to date and of our strategy moving forward as we expand our product portfolio and our geographic footprint." Turbine's claims of running the number two MMO in the western market certainly seems more justified in this light. Receiving a top 100 award is a noteworthy accomplishment for a designer of MMOs. Tip of the hat, folks.
LOTS more LotRO to come; Turbine extends LotR license
We've had punters out there guess at just how long Lord of the Rings Online might be able to last, as well as one particularly detailed and precise look at how Tolkien's Middle-earth might unfold over the years, but Turbine has now given official confirmation that they are in it for the long haul. A new press release (posted in full after the break) sent to us from Turbine's PR company states that they have extended their license agreements with Tolkien Enterprises for Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit until 2014, with the rights to claim them all the way up to 2017 if they so choose.The president and CEO of Turbine, Jim Crowley, affirmed his faith in the license -- and honestly, it's not a bad horse to back -- saying, "With the recent announcement of what are sure to be two blockbuster films based on The Hobbit and a sequel, we expect the success of the license and our relationship with Tolkien Enterprises to grow for years to come." Only time will tell whether Turbine can give LotRO and associated games legs until 2014 (or 2017!), but with this agreement under their belts they can develop away for the foreseeable future. Hit the jump to read the press release in its entirety.
Turbine takes on new CEO
Turbine, the company behind Asheron's Call and Lord of the Rings Online, has announced the surprise appointment of Jim Crowley, in place of former, long-standing CEO Jeff Anderson. Crowley was the Chief Operations Officer of mobile billing firm m-Cube, which was acquired by Verisign for $250 Million USD in 2006, and is described by Turbine as being key to m-Cube's growth and success to-date. No reason has been given for Anderson's departure from Turbine, only a generically neutral "the move is one of many that Turbine has recently made to invest in new talent that will drive the next wave of the company's growth." [via Gamasutra]
