Superhero MMO DC Universe Online is set to make the jump to free-to-play sometime next month, Sony Online Entertainment have announced.
Both PC and Playstation 3 owners will be able to save the world without spending a penny, but SOE executive producer Lorin Jameson was quick to point out that the move was due to falling subscriber numbers, in fact, subscribers have risen since the game moved to a new system called “megaservers.”
“In terms of ‘Is it a result in a drop in subs’ – absolutely not,” Lorin Jameson, SOE executive producer, said.
“This is the right business model. If I can be honest, the game ended up costing a lot more than we thought it would, and this was our preferred business model from day one.”
Free players will have access to all the current DCUO gameplay, and will be able to create two characters, as well as the ability to join a league. Additional game packs, character slots and powers will have to be purchased via microtransactions.
Premium, the tier above free, includes anyone who has spent over $5 on microtransactions or a subscription. Those folks get more character slots, inventory slots and higher cash limits.
Then there’s ‘legendary,’ effectively the system currently in place. Legendary players pay $14.99 a month and get access to all DLC packs, 15 character slots, 80 inventory slots and the ability to form leagues.
Along with these changes, SOE have also ditched the option of auto-renew for subscriptions, thanks to a survey of former Everquest 2 players, 40% of which complained about the feature.
“I don’t know about you, but my credit card statement every month is this amalgam of s*** of MMOs that I’m too lazy to cancel,” Jameson said. “What we want is to offer people a way to not worry about that.”
[Source]
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