Lord of the Rings Online to get social networking site

[Mrbloodworth]

Speaking at the Tokyo Game Show this morning, Turbine chief Jim Crowley revealed that Lord of the Rings Online is to get a full-featured social networking site late this year, reports our sister site Eurogamer.net.

Crowley showed a site that featured character profiles, friends lists and other data uploaded live from the MMO's game world, and YouTube-style video-sharing features.

He described it as "a version of Facebook or MySpace that sits directly on top of the gaming world. This is a fully-featured, rich, robust social network. It has every single feature that you would find in the major commercial social networks such as Facebook and MySpace."

The site will have live news feeds from the game world, with profile pages for all user characters. It will also feature friends lists, communication tools and the ability to upload and share screenshots and videos.

"A key element here is the face that the game engine needs to populate all of the game data directly into this social network, so you can share that across the world," Crowley said.

He said it would launch "at the end of Q4 this year".

He added that similar sites would launch for Turbine's other games, Dungeons & Dragons Online and Asheron's Call, in late 2008 or 2009.

In his presentation at the TGS Forum, titled "The collision of virtual worlds, online games and social networking," Crowley argued that MMOs were in an ideal position to take advantage of online social networking trends, and that a new generation of web-literate players would "demand" the openness and convenience of Web 2.0 networks attached to their games.

"Turbine believes that a closed eco-system will have to become an open eco-system," he said. "The MMO needs to learn... to adapt itself to the 'born digital' generation. The MMO needs to step out of its shell and start reaching a much broader and deeper audience."

Crowley argued that social networks like LOTRO's would solve a "business model problem" for MMO developers; how to take advantage of advertising revenues when in-game advertising wouldn't be appropriate.

"It allows you to inject advertising in a way that's not in conflict with the game world," he said. "It's natural to it, something you see across the web 2.0 space."

He also said that he expected the social network would help Turbine make more money by "extending the lifetime value of the customer" by involving them more closely in the game, and driving "viral customer acquisition".

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[Yegolev]

I'm on board with this.

[Stormwaltz]

I'll pass. And insult them in passing.

Eurogamer forgot to mention the most important part; it's integrated within the game, and will be supported banner ads. Nothing helps immerse players in Middle-Earth like banner ads!

[Mrbloodworth]

Crowley argued that social networks like LOTRO's would solve a "business model problem" for MMO developers; how to take advantage of advertising revenues when in-game advertising wouldn't be appropriate.

?

[tazelbain]

Don't the people this would interest already have a social networking account?  Why would they a second, very limited one.  It would make more sense as an partnership with an establish network.

[Stormwaltz]

Crowley argued that social networks like LOTRO's would solve a "business model problem" for MMO developers; how to take advantage of advertising revenues when in-game advertising wouldn't be appropriate.

?

He's playing semantic games. Since its a web site you can use through the game, it's not technically "in the game"- i.e. plastered on the side of hobbit barns and horse saddles.

[CmdrSlack]

There's a valid point there. It's not like using a social networking site launched from in-game isn't already immersion breaking. Don't use it, then no big deal for your gameplay experience. Use it, break immersion to go use Facebook of The Rings, see an annoying ad banner.

[Bandit]

Resources better used in game, and let the game speak for itself.

Besides, I am tired of social networking...I would suspect most people are as well.

[Yegolev]

My interest in this is only from an out-of-game perspective.  I don't see any point to logging into LotRO and then opening the IGB to network with my friends.  I'm assuming it's appeal is e-peen and out-of-game socializing since in-game it makes no sense.  As Facebook of the Rings, however, it doesn't seem like a terrible idea unless you think Facebook is a terrible idea.  A fine place to drop screenshots, videos and junk.

[Mrbloodworth]

I had imagined it as the LOTRO equivalent to the SOE players sites. I'm iffy as to if it is in game or not, i couldn't imagine that it would be. There is an ingame browser, and i am sure it WILL be able to be viewed in the game, but i don't think that thats it main intention.

[Tarami]

It only makes sense to have it as an external web site, then have some tools (like capturing video, screenshots) in-game that can dump directly to your Faceplant of the Rings personal profile.

"A key element here is the face that the game engine needs to populate all of the game data directly into this social network, so you can share that across the world," Crowley said.

This ("across the world") implies that it's available also for non-local players, so, yeah.