How Warner Bros amped sales and slashed fraud for Lord of the Rings Online

Success Story

Integrations

Products

SUCCESS

STORY

INTRO

Founded in 1994, Turbine, Inc. was the video game development company that focused on 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) including Dungeons & Dragons Online and the Asheron’s Call series.

In 2007, Turbine released Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO), an immersive MMORPG based on the eponymous series of fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien. In 2010, Turbine was acquired as a wholly-owned subsidiary by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE) and is now known as WB Games Boston.

Ask

Already contracted with established payment processors for their two highest priority payment methods – credit cards and PayPal – Warner Bros wanted to encourage a continuously healthy conversion rate in newer territories and continue expanding LOTRO’s availability.

WB’s goal was to enable LOTRO’s vast, diverse, and loyal fan base to enjoy a storefront as deep and multi-faceted as the book and film series themselves.

Essential attributes desired included a unique, branded skin for the UI and a high volume of customizable in-game products, plus continuous access to the development team that managed LOTRO’s backend, so they could edit and improve the store’s functionality and inventory as needed.

Solution

Xsolla’s practice of seamlessly embedding with our partner’s team allowed for an accelerated timeline. Our experience helped Warner Bros to get LOTRO up and running with a detailed, branded in-game storefront and expanded functional capabilities in three months, including a customized payment interface — a process that normally takes twice as long.

Result

Following the integration of Xsolla In-Game Store, LOTRO transactions increased to more than 350k annually.
The game experienced a 20% growth in 2020.
WBIE now has the flexibility to support over 700 payment methods.

In-Game Store

Offered clean, intuitive interface for goods display and purchase path.
Customized storefront UI with a uniquely skinned look and detailed categorization.
Built custom purchase path, prioritizing specified gateway payment methods.
Listed localized payment methods at checkout, prioritized by regional popularity.
Displayed localized pricing for all in-game goods in all global markets.

Customization

Enabled rotating inventory of over 10,000 custom in-game goods, developed by partner’s front-end team.
Let players preview in-game items on their avatars, pre-purchase.