Turbine won't deny possibility of console Lord of the Rings MMO

by Nick Doerr { Jun 22nd 2007 at 9:30AM }

Ever since people got word of the stealth-action MMO The Agency, a lingering question in the back of everyone's mind has been "will other MMO's get console attention now?" The answer is complicated. Blizzard probably won't bring World of Warcrap to consoles, but other developers are more open to the possibilities of console gamers who don't feel like getting a new computer every six months.

Turbine Entertainment, creative minds behind The Lord of The Rings Online, are open to the idea. "I actually think Lord of the Rings is a platform we can build from," said executive producer Jeffrey Steefel. Even though the PS3 supports keyboards and mice, they've still got to think of a way to translate the game from PC to consoles. Steefel vaguely explained, " ... you've got to do everything in a thoughtful way and know why you're doing it, for who you're doing it, and then, what is an MMO on a console? What is that really? It has to be different." However different it may be, we'd be honored to start getting some MMO's on the PlayStation 3. Whether or not the game would feature cross-platform play is not known, but we'd like to see it exist someday.

Tags: lord of the rings online, LordOfTheRingsOnline, lotro, PlayStation 3, Playstation3, PS3, Sony, turbine, turbine entertainment, TurbineEntertainment

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Tyler @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:36AM

I just started up again on this game today for the PC and I'd have to say it would be awesomee being able to play at max graphics without the FPS lagging abit.. In fact I even thought to myself "This would be so much better if I could play this on my PS3.."

All for it! Here's to hoping!

Magma @ Jun 22nd 2007 9:53AM

I'd rather them put a mmo on the ps3 that people actually PLAY..

GRT @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:12AM

@2 Go away you freaky troll...

Anyway I think its pretty clear that Turbine is open to the idea of an MMO on console, but not LOTRO, or at least not the same LOTRO that's on PC. He does say "It has to be different."

Funny thing is, Everquest Online Adventures is still running on the PS2, right? Sony must be making money off it after all these years. FFXI is running on PS2 and XBox and Square must be making money on it...

So why does it still seem like such a foreign idea for so many developers?

Magma @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:17AM

I'm not a troll ya retard. I was dead serious. I'd rather play WoW or FFXI then an mmo that's barely started.

GRT @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:23AM

OK so you'd rather play WoW or FF XI. Good for you. That doesn't make your ignorant comment any less ignorant. Plenty of people play LOTRO. FF XI and WoW are old and *plenty* of people have played them for years and burned out on them. Better to bring something fresh to the consoles.

BulletToothTony @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:35AM

i love lotr.. they're still my favorite movies ever.. anything regarding lotr i'll buy.. i played all the games on ps2, they were good specially the rpg one.. if we were to get lotr online, i for sure would be stuck in my house for a few days..

i haven't bought it on pc cause i don't think my 4 y/o p4 can handle it.. i think the graphic card is pretty bad.. so on ps3 would def be a go go

Hirsbrunner @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:39AM

Possibly...or possibility?

Magma @ Jun 22nd 2007 10:45AM

Stop being a hypocrite and calling my post ignorant when YOU called ME a troll when I -wasn't-. Also It's your opinion people want something fresh, and not a well established mmo. And no, not plenty of people play when compared to other already established mmo's.

WebMaster @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:49AM

Hey GRT

Why don't you can your asshat attitude. The real douche here is the one who insinuates that LORTO somehow actually compares to WOW to the masses. Guess which one is more reknowned?

ndoerr @ Jun 22nd 2007 11:53AM

@ Hirsbrunner -- fixed the title. Thanks for pointing that out. I'm on "vacation" and I was in more of a hurry to get the post done before this wireless signal disappeared. Pretty silly error on my part, so thanks for pointing it out!

OMAC @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:04PM

lol @ Magma....you are a troll.

LOTRO doesn't have a gazillion servers like WoW but the servers they do have are pretty packed. Their take on PvP is pretty cool too. WoW's active player base has shrunk since February and will continue to shrink, but it will still be the most played MMO for years to come. World of Warcraft plays to the lowest common denominator, and that's it. That's why they have the subscriber base they do. Does that mean that World of Warcraft isn't fun? Nope, it is a lot of fun, I played it for a while, but that fun doesn't last because it isn't challenging. This of course opens the door for more challenging MMO's like LOTRO.

It's too early to say if LOTRO will fail, and it will probably never have as many subscribers as WoW, but then again, there are more people that have seen the LOTR movies and read the LOTR books than have ever heard of World of Warcraft.

Personally, I would like to see some sort of EQ come to the PS3. I think that would be pretty cool.

Magma @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:09PM

Anyone who says I'm a troll is a moron plain and simple. You probably don't even know the definition of troll so stop using it.

Tyler @ Jun 22nd 2007 12:48PM

@Magma

As I have already stated, I play LotRO.. I also play FFXI and quit WoW a while back after hitting lvl 60 and getting bored

Besides the point, GTFO Trollfuck

Magma @ Jun 22nd 2007 1:18PM

You people are officially fucking morons. The definition of troll;
One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument.
Guess what idiots? I didn't try and provoke ANYTHING. PERIOD. You people are the ones who PROVOKED -me- by calling me a troll. None of this would be happening without me being provoked. So congrats on being trolls yourselves.

Jonah Falcon @ Jun 22nd 2007 1:40PM

I tried LOTRO, did the beta, played the retail. It just... grew weary.

Hirsbrunner @ Jun 22nd 2007 2:13PM

@Nick:

Any time, my friend!

GRT @ Jun 22nd 2007 3:08PM

Magma:

"I'd rather them put a mmo on the ps3 that people actually PLAY.."

This first comment of yours implies that no one plays Turbine's game. Which is clearly flamebait because you had to know someone would come to the defense of the game, since it's pretty popular.

Ergo you are a troll. I'm not sure why you're so upset. You posted a deliberately provocative comment, and you provoked people. I should think you'd be feeling rather satisfied by that.

It's like you set fire to something and now you're angry that its burning...

Magma @ Jun 22nd 2007 4:13PM

I'm not satisfied by it because I wasn't trying to provoke anyone, By saying that people actually play I was speaking of majority and not trying to offend someone, and I get burned up at being called a troll when I wasn't even trying to do that.

WebMaster @ Jun 22nd 2007 4:29PM

@ GRT

If you think for one moment that LORTRO has anywhere near the players that an MMO such as WOW has, I'd like to have what ever it is that you're smoking.

WebMaster @ Jun 22nd 2007 4:31PM

One more thing...

Although it'll never happen, however, were Blizzard to port WOW to the PS3 or 360...it would smoke and certainly hurt the opposing platform.
I really couldn't care less which console they gave it to, as I own both, but it likely would be better on the XBLN over the PSN.

Now. You want to call me a troll?

Joe @ Jun 22nd 2007 6:03PM

I for one wanted to get this game on the PC but if there could be a PS3 version. I would wait to play it on my PS3 instead.

GRT @ Jun 22nd 2007 5:24PM

OK Magma, I apologize for calling you a troll, but that's really how I read your first comment. If all you meant was that more people play WOW than play LOTRO, then obviously that's correct. But that really isn't how your first comment read.

As to the topic at hand, I don't know how many years you've been playing WOW, but I started in alpha and played until last fall. It was a lot of fun but everything gets old eventually. With, what? 8.5 million people playing WOW, how many PS3 owners are there like me? People who've been there, done that, with WOW.

The fact that more people play WoW than play LOTRO doesn't mean that LOTRO isn't fun. (If that were the case, we'd all have to admit that our PS3s were shit because more people play with their Wiis, and we know that isn't true.) If someone started on a PS3 port of WOW or FFXI or LOTRO now, it'd be a couple years before we were actually playing it, and by then even more people would've been 'finished' with WOW.

Anyway, reading the original post, I really think Turbine was talking about some totally new MMO. I'm pretty psyched at the possibilities of what The Agency will offer. Hopefully some day you can I can have it out via PVP in that game. Until then I'm kind of bummed that Age of Conan is going to be on the 360 but not the PS3...maybe Funcom will port it. Or maybe Mythic will get religion and bring Warhammer Online to the PS3. Those are the two MMOs that I'm most looking forward to (though Conan is kind of a hybrid).

max @ Jun 24th 2007 12:08AM

well i've been playing ffxi on ps3 since march.the fact sony did the update in feb allowing use of the os2 hardrive function on ps3 made me get back into it.been playing nonstop since.its more versatile than in front of a 17 monitor since u can plug it to any tv in the house or take to ur friends hosue etc.in defense of our resident troll, i would suggest companies produce games multiplatform pc/360/ps3 for the purpose that mmo's still dont make enough of a percentage of gamers on consoles, but as they introduce more and more WINNERS like the ffxi, EQ, WoW people will begin to join the mmo worlds..he reson ffxi wasnt a winner on ps2 is the fact u needed an HDD+ethernetport, and the lack of sony's support for both made ffxi not have the effect all the other ff's could have had...i know way more ppl on 360 than ps2.but those are hurdles not at all present in the new machines and the GPU's arent an issue either as is the case for so many pc's.so i see the potential with the 2 consoles to make mucho money for a saavy developer or 2 with a WINNING product...is it LOTRO? i dunno.i havent played.but i do suggest B4 u place ur product on the consoles make sure u have something that will sell...