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Champions Online: Headed for Free to Play
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Atari and Champions Online developer, Cryptic Studios, have announced that the game will become a free to play title beginning in Q1 2011. Premium content and adventure packs will be available in the CStore for additional purchase. Current subscribers will be called 'gold members' and regular monthly subscriptions will be available to new players for $14.99 per month. Gold members will receive all content at no cost. Free players, or silver members, will be required to pay for things on an individual basis.
"Transitioning Champions Online to the free-to-play model is a great opportunity to reach a whole new audience of PC gamers that view subscription fees as a barrier to entry," said John Needham, CEO of Cryptic Studios. "By taking care of our current subscription-based community and welcoming the addition of new players through free-to-play, Champions Online is poised to build upon its success and to establish a new leadership position as the first free-to-play superhero MMO."
Check out the F2P matrix here. Check out the F2P FAQ here.
Comments
nice. I may reinstall to check it out. Theyve been building their RMT CStore thingy since the start anyway
Nice. Fun game in short bursts.
Agree. Probably a good move.
Won't be long before Star Trek follows suit, I'm sure.
I make spreadsheets at work - I don't want to make them for the games I play.
Bout time. Thank you Turbine for showing Cryptic the way. Now for them to follow suit with STO.
I find it funny the comment about "opportunity to reach a whole new audience of PC gamers that view subscription fees as a barrier to entry". While that may be true for some, my one thought when I read that was "I don't view a sub fee to Champions Online as the barrier. I view the game as not offering enough to make a sub fee legitimate in the first place. This goes for all Cryptic games, since they aren't worlds but short casual MMOs."
Yep, done deal except for the announcement.
I could never get myself to go beyond lv10 in the trials I've played. It got addictive making multiple characters to look funny or awesome.
bloop
Unlike with DDO & LotRO, I'm not seeing much incentive for subscribers here
F2P'ers get all the existing content & levels with some customisation restrictions?
Do subscribers get free C-Store points?
Not a surprise. Unpopular games that are developed by supposed AAA studios with less than mediocre dev talent for a free-realms audience are bound to go free-to-play.
I am a altaholic and have a sub now with about 12 characters. This is a good move as it will beef up server populations and encourage more grouping, especially with the mission/ adventure packs.
i'll give the game another shot when it's F2P, but i really didn't enjoy the demo at all....
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Yup for sure , and I think it could be a great thing for STO , because its a casual type of Mmo , the free to play model would really suit people that wanted to just play now and then.
I knew it was wise to wait this one out. Freakin Cryptic! Screwing over your early adapters like that...lifetime memberships and ridiculous sub/cash shop payment methods. Now I can fill my creative need to make superheroes and play them for a few days just to retire him and make another.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
Nice, first Atari screws Turbine with DDO and then they steal their business model
Good news and not very suprising. CO was pretty boring at launch but maybe it will bring some fun when F2P!
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
Sorry, no ones getting screwed over, there getting exactly what they payed for.
Apparently stating the truth in my sig is "trolling"
Sig typo fixed thanks to an observant stragen001.
F2P is the only chance for survival for such an inferior game. Expect STO to head this way in another year or so.
There's so little content though, I wonder what on Earth F2P players are gonna get/not get free that will provide an adequate F2P experience, yet more income, that will also justify keeping your sub, should you choose to.
Edited for clarification.
With all the limitations imposed on the silver membership it should just be called and unlimited trial.
The Stranger: It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid.
Cool
I agree with Robsolf above, there just does not seem like enough content to have a F2P and a sub in any Cryptic game. I dont see STO going F2P for a while due to its severe lack of content. Will take at least 8 to 12 more months for Cryptic to get enough content in it to even think about being able to split it up.
It always felt more like a F2P game than any other mmo I came across, all those avatar choices only to wind up in living in pointless, blandville.....nope even free I don't see me returning, but at least its a option for others now.
Guys...Restrictions are pretty friggin huge.
You CANT pick your own powers to make a custom char (like a flame breathing dual pistol dragon)
You CANT color your powersets (hellooooooo~)
ONE bag!
They pretty much gimped you! So yah..NO PVP FOR YOUU!
''/\/\'' Posted using Iphone bunni
( o.o)
(")(")
**This bunny was cloned from bunnies belonging to Gobla and is part of the Quizzical Fanclub and the The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club**
I'm a CO lifetime subscriber and I don't feel screwed over at all. I got the 14 or so months since launch, and I'll be considered a Gold member forever, meaning I get all the content with no extra charge when the game goes F2P. Basically nothing changes for me, except I get more people in-game to play with.
Makes sense. When you have little to offer subscribed players, you have to offer lots less to F2P'ers.
Seeing as how I can't make it past 2 hours of gameplay on their free weekends unrestricted, I doubt the F2P option will get me spending.
Good news is, I accumulated a bunch of C-store points from buying STO, so maybe I can buy off enough restrictions to have a half hour of amusement here and there. Even if it means never leaving the character costume screen...