Interviews// Jeffrey Steefel, Exec Producer, Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar (Online)

SPOnG: Tolkien fans - and more recently fans of the movies - are intensely passionate about the world, the characters, about the stories, so any new representations or re-telling has got to be able to withstand detailed criticism.

Jeffrey Steefel: Yeah, well it’s been interesting, because around four years ago when we were starting to do this, the fan audience that we had in the forums for a game that was a long time in coming… they were zealous about all that. They were basically convinced that we would just ruin it and that we wouldn’t be able to come up with anything that they’d be satisfied with. And now we’re seeing people very pleasantly surprised and coming in and saying “Wow! I really feel like I’m in Middle Earth!”

We really haven’t broken the main rules, which is the point you know. Everybody knows that we are making a game, right? There is a small group of people who don’t and who would rather that we made a Tolkien encyclopaedia, but that’s not what we’re going for!

But there are rules, and as long as you follow the rules, then it makes sense.


SPOnG: So you have over half a million people already signed up for the beta test?!

Jeffrey Steefel: Yep, we haven’t let them all in though.


SPOnG: So, how many of these are actually currently in on the pre-launch beta testing?

Jeffrey Steefel: Well, we’re not disclosing those numbers but there’s been hundreds of thousands of players that have gone through the beta – whether they have come in and played for a stress test event, or for an alpha or for a beta… and we’ll have several hundred thousands more coming through for the final stage of the beta.


SPOnG: So, would it be fair to say that it’s the biggest beta test for an online game ever?

Jeffrey Steefel: Erm, I don’t know if I’d make that claim or not. Not knowing how big World of Warcraft’s beta really was and how many people they had… but it’s certainly one of the biggest ever and the fact that we already have such a huge audience … the fact that there are well over half a million people dying to play this beta is, you know, a huge indication for us. By the time we launch we will have distributed probably close to a million keys!


SPOnG: So, all of those hundreds of thousands of people – they will be able to get a discounted £5.99 monthly or £99.99 lifetime subscription fee?

Jeffrey Steefel: Yeah, providing they buy a pre-order anytime between now and launch, that’s the one requirement.


SPOnG: I noticed also it has the Games for Windows branding on there – is that something that’s on every new PC game now?

Jeffrey Steefel: It’s on any new game that is certified Games for Windows – which is not a simple thing to do, but this is a particular title that Microsoft was interested in having be a Games for Windows game. The game basically needs to be friendly with Vista, with DirectX 10, and all that kinda stuff. It’s another minor level of work for us to do, but in the end it’s a great thing – it helps us with distribution, prepares us well for other platforms … things like that.


SPOnG: With LOTRO, the fact that it is such a huge mass market license, you are obviously hoping that the game is going to appeal to, how best to say it… ‘noobs’ I suppose…

Jeffrey Steefel: Sure!


SPOnG: Or perhaps ‘less hardcore’ gamers – I’m a good example myself, having never played or really considered playing an MMO – yet with LOTRO this is perhaps the first one I find myself looking forward to and keen to try out…

Jeffrey Steefel: Yep, there’s a lot of people like that.


SPOnG: And how are you going retain players once you’ve got them?

Jeffrey Steefel: One is by simply making sure that they realise that ‘yep, this is The Lord of the Rings. So, they are going to go and they are going to see it and they are going to experience very quickly what they expect. So, in the first five minutes of the game you are going to have some experiences that remind you that this really is what you expected. I don’t know if you have had a chance to play any of the starter experiences?