Turbine has managed to duplicate its success with switching Dungeons and Dragons Online with The Lord of the Rings Online (LotRO). During a panel at GDC Online 2010, LotRO Executive Producer Kate Paiz announced that LotRO has doubled its revenue since switching to the free-to-play/subscription hybrid model last month. Paiz notes that since the switch, 20% of LotRO's former players have returned and more than a million new accounts have been created. LotRO has also seen a 300% increase in peak concurrency.

Paiz also shared that 20% of LotRO's former players have returned to the game since the switchover, and that the game has seen a 300% increase in peak concurrency, with three times the number of players online simultaneously, and a 400% increase in active players total. 53% of players have used the in-game microtransaction store (which sells everything from mounts and outfits to XP boosts and character slots), and as you can see above, extra storage slots are extremely popular in the store. And even paid subscriptions have increased.

As expected, this is a very beneficial move for Turbine, one that should also benefit players by way of new content and future updates.

(Via Joystiq)