MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Trion Worlds has expanded the trial version of its flagship MMO, essentially making the game free-to-play. Rift Lite drops the time limit and lets new players enjoy the the game for free until they reach level 20. If they enjoy the game, they can sign up for full membership, with …
Read More »Bigpoint hits 250m-player milestone
More than 250m users have signed up for Bigpoint’s free-to-play PC browser games in the ten years it has been producing them. The online games giant now has over 1,000 game portals across social networks and media sites. Plus, a quarter of a million new players are drawn to its …
Read More »F2P games can’t be "high quality", says Namco Bandai
Namco Bandai has issued a warning to publishers looking to hop aboard the free-to-play bandwagon. Speaking at Cloud Gaming Europe yesterday Namco Bandai’s European senior VP Olivier Comte claimed that an increase in F2P titles will result in a drop of overall game quality – a trend he believes could …
Read More »Star Trek Online now free-to-play
Cryptic Studios has confirmed that its Star Trek MMO is now free to all players. The developer completed the transition from a subscription-based model to F2P on schedule, having previously promised a relaunch date of January 17th. Players now have access to the entire game with no fees. However, those …
Read More »Microsoft Flight is a free-to-play title
The re-birth of the Flight Simulator series, Microsoft Flight, will be free to download and play, Microsoft has confirmed. The game will feature a replica of Hawaii’s main island and offer a daily challenge and free updates. Furthermore, gamers who sign in with a Live account will receive additional free …
Read More »Command & Conquer MMO is coming
EA has announced a brand new free-to-play MMO in the Command & Conquer series. Called Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances is set in the established Tiberium universe. It promises cross-platform play across devices thanks to its browser-based design. Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliancesis the first MMO and first free-to-play game …
Read More »Free-to-play Aion takes flight in February
NCsoft’s Aion: The Tower of Eternity is the latest MMORPG to switch to the free-to-play model. The game will drop its monthly subscriptions in February. NCsoft has joined forces with German publisher Gameforge to create a team that will maintain the title and its servers in Europe. Aion debuted in …
Read More »F2P switch sees DC Universe revenues soar 700%
Sales for the DC Universe MMO has jumped sevenfold in around twenty days since the game turned free, according to new data. Microtransactions for virtual goods has driven the game’s growth, with a flood of new players accessing the title. PS3 users make up a half of all the game’s …
Read More »Star Trek Online gets F2P date
Perfect World Entertainment has confirmed the day on which it will flick the free-to-play switch for Star Trek Online. The game will be free and available to all on January 17th, Videogamer reports. Since its launch in 2010 the MMO has operated using a standard subscription model. However, the exodus …
Read More »DC Universe popularity surges 1000% after F2P switch
DC Universe Online has seen a 1,000 per cent increase of concurrent users since going free-to-play on the November 1st. The superhero MMO, managed by Sony Online Entertainment, has also gained 330,000 new players since the switch from a subscription model. The 1000 per cent rise suggests the game had …
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