HellMoo

VS

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War

HellMoo is a niche, text-based multiplayer online game (MOO) that launched in 2003. As an indie, old-school MUD/MOO, it likely retains a very small but dedicated player base given its age, genre, and underground reputation in the text-based RPG community. These games seldom have more than a few dozen daily actives after so many years unless they receive mainstream press, which HellMoo has not.

The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is a licensed mobile RTS/strategy game by NetEase, released in late 2021. While initial launch interest was strong thanks to the IP and solid marketing, typical player retention for mobile strategy games stabilizes at a lower active base over time. NetEase titles perform well in Asian and international markets but generally see gradual decline after 2-3 years. As a mobile-focused, session-based game (not a full persistent MMO), it likely maintains around 70,000 daily active players globally by mid-2024.