Category Archives: Free-to-Play

Hi-Rez Studios has announced that the open beta for Tribes: Ascend will start Friday, February 24.

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NCSoft has announced Aion will go free-to-play in North America this spring. To be re-branded as Aion: Ascension in the region, as with Europe, the new business model will allow folks to download the entire game for free along with two major expansions. The new model will launch alongside update 3.0 which will include new additions to the housing system, mounts, some new content and a level cap increase. The closed beta for the European version of free-to-play just closed and the game is set to be relaunched this month.

EA and Gracie Films have been working on a freemium title based on Fox’s The Simpsons annimated series called The Simpsons: Tapped Out, and it will be the first free-to-play title released based on the franchise.

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Follwing a teasing countdown timer, A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games and Roadhouse Interactive have detailed MechWarrior Tactics.

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Seatribe’s creative director, Björn Johannessen, has said the team decided to add permadeath to its upcoming free-to-play MMORPG, Salem, because for one, it “enforces a subtle form of roleplaying.”

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In Red 5′s unusual MMO shooter Firefall, players have a chance to decide which direction the world will expand in.

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NCSoft has detailed its Spring Fling plans for City of Heroes. On top of the three traditional Spring Fling co-op missions , characters of level 30 or above can take on a quest involving the Red Widow to score the Widow Maker badge, while level 20 and above can access Valentines, which awards players with the Match Maker or Missed Connection badges, and grants one of two temporary abilities, Arrows of Romance and Arrows of Jealousy. The fun kicked off this morning in the US and runs through February 27.

NCsoft has revealed some rather nice figures for Lineage II, which changed over from a subscription-based MMO to free-to-play back in November. According to the firm (via MMORPG), the concurrent player-base in the game has increased 800%, more than 250,000 players have used the “Path to Awakening service” the web-based system which rewards player for game progression and provides free items tofolks level up faster. The firm has had to more than double the number of servers to accommodate the new players, and even better, revenue for NCsoft has “quadrupled” in the last two months. Fans have also “liked” the game’s Facebook page more than 280,000 times and the game’s forums are hopping. Good to hear!

In a post on the Team Fortress 2 blog, Valve has teased a number of planned updates for the coming year. The publisher plans to hold its second annual Saxxy Awards; has launched a Steam Workshop blog; and will release a new “Meet The” short for the Pyro. Most excitingly, there’s “something brand new” in the works for the game. No hints were dropped except that it’s not a hat, a map, or a hat-map hybrid. Team Fortress 2 is one of the most successful squad multiplayer shooters, and went free-to-play last year. It’s available for PC and Mac via Steam.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Bigpoint has passed a significant milestone across its catalogue of free to play titles.

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The free to play revolution isn’t killing premium subscriptions, Turbine believes, but it’s forcing providers to give consumers flexibility.

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After fourteen years of service, the Life Swallower is ready to absorb a new generation of subscription-free adventurers.

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Champions Online is celebrating its one year anniversary since going free-to-play with a 20% off sale in all items in the C-Store. Players will also receive in-game goodies from now until January 31 such as a double boost in XP with the return of Witchcraft. In addition, the new Mountain Archetype has party favors for sale such as the Halloween and Winter Grab Bags. Players will also be able to perform a daily mission for The Mountain to earn one of the new Mountain Costume set pieces. More information is available on the official website.

App Store flavour du jour Temple Run has quadrupled its revenue since going free to play, developer Imangi revealed to Gamasutra. The 99 cent app hit the top of the charts on release but then stymied, so Imangi took it free to play in September, one month after launch. Temple Run has now been downloaded over 20 million times, is totting up more at a rate of 500,000 per day, and has 7 million daily average users. The game is now in top spot on the charts once more, with revenue and users growing daily.

Head on over to the Aion Free-to-Play website, and you can pre-load the new client, sign up for the beta, and study up and what you’ll need to do to transition your account smoothly to Gameforge’s new servers. The MMORPG’s European servers make the switch in February, but in the US, the game remains subscription-based.

Thanks, Blue.

Ubisoft has released a new developer diary for Ghost Recon Online in which the developers discuss the game’s three main classes. The diary also explains the customization and leveling options which will allow players to become the “ghost” they wish to play in the game. The free-to-play shooter, which was slated for release at the end of 2011, is out this year on PC with a Wii U version to follow. You can still sign up for the beta through here.

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Turbine has announced the first expansion for Dungeon and Dragons Online since going free-to-play in 2009, and it will take players into the amazing world of the Forgotten Realms.

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New, performance-enhancing premium items added to the Lord of the Rings Online store are there to help out new players, Turbine has explained.

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Free to play games are undercutting the value of higher quality premium releases, according to Namco Bandai’s senior vice-president for Europe, Oliver Comte.

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It’s a happy day for those long on space-faring dreams but short on cash, as Cryptic has completed the transition of Star Trek Online from subscription to free to play. You can jump on board and have access to the whole game, although premium subs still exist for those who want to play multiple alts or start a guild, and run $14.99 per month. But to reiterate: you can be a vulcan, and fly a spaceship, and pay zero dollars. Well, what are you waiting for? G’wan, git.