LOTRO Hits Highest Player Count In 10 Years (2023)

The free MMO based on Tolkien's Middle-earth universe saw a big spike in popularity around its 15th anniversary event.

By Eddie Makuch on

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The Lord of the Rings Online is having a big resurgence. The game reached more than 3,700 peak concurrent players on April 21, according to SteamDB. This is just shy of LOTRO's all-time peak concurrent player record of 3,965 that was set more than 10 years ago in 2012 when the game launched on Steam.

The surge in popularity for the MMO that originally launched in 2007 is presumably due in part to the arrival of a massive new 15th anniversary update (via PCGamesN). Not only that, but the game recently made a bunch of previously premium content free for all players, and this might have encouraged people to jump in.

LOTRO Hits Highest Player Count In 10 Years (1)

LOTRO's recent growth in popularity wasn't enough to push the game inside Steam's top 100 most-played games. However, LOTR also has its own game-specific launcher and client, so the Steam figures represent just a portion of the game's total audience.

LOTRO was originally developed by Turbine and released in 2007 under a subscription-based model, but made the shift to free-to-play in 2010. Development shifted to Standing Stone Games (comprised of many ex-Turbine developers) in 2016, when the studio also partnered with Daybreak Games (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) as a publishing partner. In 2020, EG7 acquired Lord of the Rings Online and Daybreak for $300 million (as well as other MMOs like Dungeons & Dragons Online and EverQuest).

(Video) I Tried Playing LOTRO After A Decade

In other news, there are currently plans for LOTRO to receive visual and technical updates, as well as a current-gen console version, in order to capitalize on Amazon's upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power show. Amazon itself was developing a Lord of the Rings MMO until its deal with Tencent fell apart.

(Video) How LOTRO's Lifetime Offer Became More Than Turbine Bargained For

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(Video) LOTRO | S22 Episode 720: Morlad

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(Video) 🔴 LIVE! LOTRO In 2022 First Time Player - Is it still worth playing?

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(Video) Which LOTRO Server Is the Best?

FAQs

How many players still play LOTRO? ›

How Many People Play The Lord of the Rings Online? We estimate the daily player count of The Lord of the Rings Online to be 27,819, with a total player base of 2,928,343.

Is Lord of the Rings Online still active 2022? ›

Players have through December 31st, 2022 to transfer their characters and shared items from Anor. After that time characters and items will no longer be transferrable, and customer support will not be able to assist players in recovering those characters or items,” the studio wrote.

When did LOTRO become f2p? ›

In 2010 the game underwent a shift from its original subscription-based payment model to being free-to-play. The game saw continued development, alternating between paid expansions and free updates, which added new content in the regions of Isengard, Rohan and Gondor.

How many players does LOTRO have 2022? ›

The Lord of the Rings Online
MonthAvg. PlayersGain
Last 30 Days845.3-12.9
December 2022858.2-151.1
November 20221,009.3-181.0
October 20221,190.3+140.9
94 more rows

What's the most populated server LOTRO? ›

One of the most populated servers is Arkenstone with players from the US and all over the world. This server has many Kinships that focus on casual and end-game content. If you are in the Asian/Oceanic time zone you may consider Arkenstone as it is well populated in peak hours.

Why did Amazon cancel the LOTR MMO? ›

Amazon Games revealed last year that its in-development MMO set in the world of The Lord of the Rings had been canceled as the team had "been unable to secure terms to proceed with the title at this time."

Why did LOTR MMO get Cancelled? ›

According to Amazon Games president Christoph Hartmann, the company's planned MMO based on J.R.R. Tolkein's novel The Lord of the Rings was canceled because it had to factor in its planned developer Leyou being purchased by Tencent in 2020.

Is Amazon making a LOTR MMO? ›

For years, Amazon Games was developing a Lord of the Rings MMO alongside Chinese game developer Leyou and Middle-earth Enterprises. There was a good amount of hype around the game, but it was abruptly canceled in 2021, leaving fans scratching their heads and wondering how it all fell apart.

What class is best for solo on LOTRO? ›

My personal recommendations:
  • High elf minstrel.
  • Elf Hunter.
  • Hobbit Burglar.
  • Beorning.
  • man champion (captain is flavour pick but slower)
May 19, 2022

Was the LOTR MMO Cancelled? ›

Amazon was set to release a free-to-play MMO based on Tolkien's Lord the Rings works sometime this year. However, in April 2021, the project was cancelled, with reports claiming a dispute with mega-games company Tencent was the catalyst for this decision.

What is the best class to play in LOTRO? ›

Hunters are available for Dwarves, Elves, High Elves, Hobbits, and Men and are easily one of the most powerful classes in LotRO. Hunters use their basic skills to build Focus which players can spend for more powerful attacks.

Is LOTRO worth playing 2022? ›

Whether you're a huge LOTR fan or simply enjoy open-world adventures, this game is well worth trying out! LOTRO has plenty of content to offer, from its engaging storyline and beautiful graphics to its varied classes and large population.

Is WoW better than LOTRO? ›

All in all I will say that LOTRO is slightly better than WoW in sense of scale, graphics, and realism. However, WoW always seems to win over the hearts of many due to it's cartoon approach and more playability for casual gamers.

What is Max LVL in LOTRO? ›

Level represents the experience and strength of characters, NPCs, and Mobs, friendly and enemy alike. The maximum level (or "level cap") is 140. Each level requires an increasing amount of experience points, regardless of race or class.

Is LOTRO profitable? ›

In terms of monthly active players, the game has 108,000, of which 37.9% (41,000) subscribe generating nearly $10 million per year. Overall, yearly revenue is $26.7 million.

How many houses can you own in LOTRO? ›

Can I own more than one house on a server? You can only have one personal house per server per account. However, if one of your characters is a kinship leader of a kinship of Rank 7 or greater, that character is eligible to purchase a kinship house.

Is Multiboxing allowed in LOTRO? ›

Multi-boxing is permitted; unattended play (botting) is not permitted. Class combination is entirely up to you and your objective for boxing. I remember back before F2P, there were choo trains of dwarves being multiboxed.

Is Amazon LOTR based on Silmarillion? ›

And the answer surprised many fans who thought the show would be focused on the events in The Silmarillion. Amazon doesn't actually have the rights to The Silmarillion. This means the series will be based on The Appendices at the end of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Will there ever be a LOTR RPG? ›

The retail release of both is planned for Q1 2023. The One Ring™ roleplaying game is based on The Hobbit™ and The Lord of the Rings™, two extraordinary works of fiction by the beloved author and respected academic, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

Will Amazon LOTR be rated R? ›

The series's age rating is set as TV-14. This means it's suitable for 14 and up, although younger children may be comfortable with it. When the series was originally created, the plan was to make it suitable for children. After all, this is all set in a fantasy world, and children love fantasy shows.

Did 17 years pass in LOTR? ›

The Lord of the Rings roughly spans 20 years. There is a 17-year gap in the first and second chapters where Bilbo leaves the Shire (3001), and Gandalf returns to inform Frodo about the One Ring (3018). The main quest lasts around 16 or 17 months, from the time Frodo leaves and returns to the Shire.

Will Amazon LOTR be free? ›

The Lord of the Rings series is a Prime Original, which means that Prime members can stream the show at no additional charge.

How many seasons will Amazon LOTR have? ›

Amazon bought the television rights for The Lord of the Rings from the Tolkien Estate in November 2017, making a five-season production commitment worth at least $US1 billion. This would make it the most expensive television series ever made. Payne and McKay were hired in July 2018.

Will Amazon LOTR be family friendly? ›

In short, no,” Vanity Fair answered. McKay told Vanity Fair that the objective was “to make a show for everyone, for kids who are 11, 12, and 13, even though sometimes they might have to pull the blanket up over their eyes if it's a little too scary. We talked about the tone in Tolkien's books.

Is LOTRO a WoW clone? ›

LOTRO is often billed as a “WoW clone,” which is fair in some respects, but that comes with expectations that this MMO functions just the same as Blizzard's MMO.

Will LOTRO get a graphics update? ›

LOTRO Will (Eventually) Receive A Graphics Upgrade

The original game was released some 15 years ago, but LOTRO has changed hands several times since then, most recently coming under the control of Standing Stone Games.

What class would Aragorn be in LOTRO? ›

Aragorn is a hybrid Captain/Hunter.

What race is best for Champion LOTRO? ›

Best Race for Champion

The best race for a Champion when it comes to damage output and overall utility will be Man or Dwarf. While these are great choices for this class, I always recommend to choose the race that you like most. Champions can be every race except for Beorning. Yes, even Hobbits with Update 33.2.

Is the new LOTR CGI? ›

The duo of showrunners also revealed that, despite their love for real-world locations and practical effects, there are some scenes that simply can't be put together without heavy use of CGI: Khazad-dûm, the underground dwarf realm, had to be built on a soundstage because spelunking hundreds of crew members to a ...

Is LOTR getting a remake? ›

Amazon isn't going to remake the LOTR series that was last seen as several Peter Jackson-directed movies. Though this series, like the film saga, will be set in Tolkien's Middle-earth, Amazon says the original storylines will come from a time period preceding The Fellowship of the Ring.

What was missing from LOTR movies? ›

Lord Of The Rings: The 10 Biggest Things Left Out Of The Movies
  • Old Man Willow. Art By: Roger Garland. ...
  • Tom Bombadil & Goldberry. ...
  • The Barrow Downs. ...
  • Elrohir & Elladan. ...
  • Hobbits Meeting Wood Elves. ...
  • Glorfindel's Rescue Of Frodo. ...
  • Most Of Faramir's Personality. ...
  • Halbarad & The Grey Company.
Jul 29, 2019

What is max level in LOTRO 2022? ›

Character level

The current maximum level, or "level cap", on non-legendary servers is 140.

Is LOTRO good solo? ›

LOTRO is a game designed to offer a variety of play experiences, and soloing is very viable for all of the Classes. It is not necessary to choose a particular class to solo effectively, although some classes are more enjoyable to solo with than others.

What weapon should a warden use in LOTRO? ›

One-handed main-hand melee weapons – Wardens can use a variety of weapons for their main-hand. Thematically, this is usually a spear. Swords are also a popular choice. Javelin – A ranged weapon that only Wardens can use.

Does people still play LOTRO? ›

The free MMO based on Tolkien's Middle-earth universe saw a big spike in popularity around its 15th anniversary event. The Lord of the Rings Online is having a big resurgence.

Is LOTRO still playable? ›

I've been playing LOTRO off and on since the game came out. Activity on the servers is definitely down from it's peak years, but it's still pretty vibrant on the server I log on to (Gladden). There is constant chatter on the world chat and I see players constantly.

Is LOTRO still supported? ›

LOTRO now joins the long list of MMORPGs that are no longer supported for MacOS, but for those players who are still looking to play some great games from our genre on a native Mac machine, we've put together a list of 13 such titles.

Is LOTRO better than WoW? ›

All in all I will say that LOTRO is slightly better than WoW in sense of scale, graphics, and realism. However, WoW always seems to win over the hearts of many due to it's cartoon approach and more playability for casual gamers.

Why did they cancel Lord of the Rings MMO? ›

According to a Bloomberg report at the time, the game's cancelation was the result of a dispute between Amazon and Chinese tech giant Tencent, which acquired Leyou in December 2020.

Is LOTRO worth playing solo? ›

LOTRO is a game designed to offer a variety of play experiences, and soloing is very viable for all of the Classes. It is not necessary to choose a particular class to solo effectively, although some classes are more enjoyable to solo with than others.

What is max level in LOTRO? ›

Levels. Level represents the experience and strength of characters, NPCs, and Mobs, friendly and enemy alike. The maximum level (or "level cap") is 140. Each level requires an increasing amount of experience points, regardless of race or class.

How long does it take to walk across LOTRO? ›

It would take approximately 6 hours and 18 minutes to walk across the entire map.

Will there be another Lord of the Rings MMO? ›

It was even expected that the Lord of the Rings MMO would release in 2022. But, unfortunately for many who were excited at the prospect of roaming around Middle-earth with their friends, back in April 2021 the game was canceled by Amazon.

Is Amazon still making a Lord of the Rings MMO? ›

For years, Amazon Games was developing a Lord of the Rings MMO alongside Chinese game developer Leyou and Middle-earth Enterprises. There was a good amount of hype around the game, but it was abruptly canceled in 2021, leaving fans scratching their heads and wondering how it all fell apart.

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