I wrote this morning that I don't think you have to compete with, or tear users away from, World of Warcraft. I also think that just because WoW is the current heavyweight juggernaut, it doesn't mean that it's the standard by which success should be measured.
While LotRO isn't really revolutionary in any way (it's still a "kill 10 rats and bats game"), it's a very different game than WoW. I've played WoW, and I think I "get" the experience that Blizzard wants to sell to its players. It's obviously a successful experience, but it's also very different from the LotRO experience. Your typical WoW player would probably hate it, or at least be disinterested. So if Turbine are planning on luring WoW players away (and I don't believe this for a second), they're in for a pretty rude awakening. They're more likely to pull from the EQ/EQ2/Vanguard population, which is pretty slim pickings.
I like LotRO, so perhaps I'm biased. But I'm optimistic that yet another untapped corner of the MMO market will emerge at launch. Blizzard will keep it's 8 kajillion players, but LotRO will probably command and hold a respectable million or more.
Re: The LotR Online short-living bubble
I wrote this morning that I don't think you have to compete with, or tear users away from, World of Warcraft. I also think that just because WoW is the current heavyweight juggernaut, it doesn't mean that it's the standard by which success should be measured.
While LotRO isn't really revolutionary in any way (it's still a "kill 10 rats and bats game"), it's a very different game than WoW. I've played WoW, and I think I "get" the experience that Blizzard wants to sell to its players. It's obviously a successful experience, but it's also very different from the LotRO experience. Your typical WoW player would probably hate it, or at least be disinterested. So if Turbine are planning on luring WoW players away (and I don't believe this for a second), they're in for a pretty rude awakening. They're more likely to pull from the EQ/EQ2/Vanguard population, which is pretty slim pickings.
I like LotRO, so perhaps I'm biased. But I'm optimistic that yet another untapped corner of the MMO market will emerge at launch. Blizzard will keep it's 8 kajillion players, but LotRO will probably command and hold a respectable million or more.
Good writeup though. :)