LOTRO Preorder Period is Over
Well, I decided to pass on the Lord of the Rings preorder promotion, which essentially guarantees that I won’t get the game later on. People choosing the “preorder rate” can opt for a special monthly rate of $9.99 or a one-time payment of $200. It’ll be interesting to see how many people took the offer and how it may affect future growth or churn trends.
Some initial thoughts:
- I’ve seen comments that those opting $9.99 instead of $200 will kick themselves if they’re still playing 2 years from now (the rough threshold for when the $200 rate will be the better deal). I’ve been on City of Heroes nearing 3 years, now, so that’s entirely possible, but I believe that the new titles to be launched in the next two years might alter our gaming habits and make this kind of play less likely.
- I’ve seen others comment that, like myself, if they didn’t opt for the founder’s discount, they’d be reluctant to later decide to take the $15 fee. Will LOTRO see substantial launch numbers that peak early, as those interested took the early deal and those on the fence turn away? I’m not sure.
- What about churn? The special $9.99 rate only lasts until you cancel your account. That means it’s unlikely that you’re going to cancel due to a “slow month” or, as many do in City of Heroes, play a new release like mad, cancel it, then resubscribe when a new expansion’s ready for download. Why risk losing the special rate?
- What about other games? This fall Age of Conan comes out. It might have been able to capture some of the early adopter market from LOTRO, but will people be reluctant to abandon their special rate after only 4-5 months of use? Will they try to keep both accounts open or just give up on a game that doesn’t have a similar deal?