Building LotRO's Corsairs of Umbar: How MMO Expansions Come To Life

mmorpg.com:

Over the course of an MMO’s life, expansions are oftentimes the lifeblood that fuels them. They expand stories, worlds, characters and more in ways that have a lasting effect on the minds of those who play the MMO. Some expansions have been considered the peak of a specific game, such as Wrath of the Lich King for World of Warcraft , or the recent Endwalker expansion bringing to a close a story a decade in the telling with Final Fantasy XIV . 

Expansions present an interesting way to look at MMOs as well. Oftentimes, we look at an expansion through the lens of how it changes the base game. How much content is enough to justify the cost? Is the expansion adding anything meaningful to the MMO overall? How does it change the course of the game moving forward?

I’ve been incredibly curious about the team's process when creating a new expansion, especially on an MMO that has been around the block for a while. My first experience with an MMO expansion was when The Lord of the Rings Online launched Mines of Moria in 2009. As the first true major MMO I played, it was exciting to see the world of Middle-earth, which I’ve adored throughout my adult life, expand in meaningful ways with the inclusion of Khazad-dum, Lorien, and more.

Since then, though, I’ve played — and reviewed — many expansions across multiple MMOs, from World of Warcraft , The Lord of the Rings Online , The Elder Scrolls Online and many more. And despite this, the reviews or pieces have always looked at things through the lens of the end result — how they change and add onto the game they are expanding. 

My curiosity as to how they are created has never really gone away, though. 

To that end, as The Lord of the Rings Online prepares to launch its 11th