LotRO Founders Program

A Journalist's Opinion of the LotRO Founders Program

As the time for preordering draws to an end, Cody "Micajah" Bye takes a look at LotRO's Founders Program and the influence it will have on the games to come. He explores how getting a "head start" in character leveling could affect the beta tests of future titles and how the marketing campaign has turned MMO marketing on its head.

But that doesn't mean there aren't any drawbacks to the system that Turbine and company are now employing. There are some big risks involved in providing the sort of benefits that the Founders Program offers. Providing players with an open beta character they can keep after release and offering them a lowered set of subscription rates can cause some problems with the development cycle of the game, if the publisher isn't flexible.

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