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Going Free Boosts Turbine's DDO Revenues 500 Percent
by Leigh Alexander [PC, Console/PC]
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February 26, 2010
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Going free-to-play is paying off for Turbine, which says its Dungeons and Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited has gained over one million new players since its September 2009 launch -- as the game's paid subscriber base has more than doubled.
Turbine took formerly subscription-based DDO to a primarily free-to-play model last year with the Eberron upgrade, unveiling a microtransactions-driven store for in-game content.
The company says that its players transact in the new store at three times the industry average, and that the franchise's revenue has grown 500 percent since the change-over. Turbine did not attach a dollar value to its revenue claims.
Users can still pay a monthly subscription for unlimited access to DDO's content. On the free model, they buy adventure packs, items and account-related services on an individual basis.
"The response from players to DDO Unlimited has been nothing short of phenomenal," said Jim Crowley, president and CEO of Turbine, Inc.
"We’ve known all along how great this game is and by implementing an innovative new model that put the players in charge of how they pay and play DDO Unlimited, we’ve successfully expanded our reach and injected new energy into the game," he continues. "Without a doubt, DDO Unlimited is a hit!"
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I still hope that rumor of a Neverwinter Nights MMO is true. That would kick ass.
I think the second and third highest revenue generating MMO's are F2P. While they are not even close to touching WOW's market share in revenue, they are still pretty high on the list. I think Maple story is clocked in aroudn 10 million a year in revenue. I would have to go back and look at the numbers, but I think that is correct for at least 2008 if I remember correctly.