Gaikai CEO, David Perry said on Thursday that Lord of the Rings Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online have been the first MMORPG’s to be streamed by Gaikai to web browsers everywhere. Available to North America, the streamed version of LOTRO is apparently up and running, however there are no signs of this in writing. DDO is to follow shortly.
“Gaikai’s game streaming service will make it easier than ever for new players to start their epic adventures in our immersive online worlds,” said Craig Alexander, Vice President of Product Development, Turbine. “Anyone wishing to try these popular MMOs can now instantly launch the games inside their web browser completely eliminating any download wait times.”
Both MMORPG’s are owned by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and are both developed by Turbine. LOTRO offers three different ways to play: free, premium and VIP. All three accounts have a level cap of 75, but free players are limited to one character per server unless they pull out real cash for more slots.
Lets bring ourselves back down to earth. This is not a permanent feature. This is a feature so gamers are able to test the MMORPG’s before actually downloading and installing the game on to their computer. This Gaikai FAQ hosted on the LOTRO site confirms this, stating that Middle-earth fans are allowed to play up to one full hour in the browser before being kicked off and forced to download the installer.
“For most players, this [hour] will allow you to create your character and complete the starting area for your race,” reads the FAQ. “At the end of the trial, you will be logged out from the game and your character and progress will be stored on our servers. You will then be provided with links to download the game client to continue your adventure.”
