Another AAA MMO has gone free-to-play - or will in October, according to Sony Online Entertainment (SOE). The company announced that beginning sometime in late October, its DC comics-based MMO will be free to download and play without a monthly subscription fee. DCUO will be from both the PlayStation 3 and PC and will offer three new access levels: Free, Premium and Legendary. All three levels will provide general access to open world gameplay and missions, general game updates and fixes to the game, with each level offering different game options and benefits.
The Free access level will grant access to the current gameplay in DC Universe Online (including Gotham City, Metropolis, and all current raids and alerts), with the ability to create two characters, join a league and many other benefits. Free level players will be able to purchase downloadable game packs/updates, additional character slots, powers and more through micro-transactions.
The Premium access level will be available to any player who has spent at least $5 USD (including former paid subscribers and new players who have purchased $5 of in-game items). Premium level players will have more benefits available to them than the Free level player, including additional character slots, additional inventory slots, and higher cash limits. Downloadable adventure packs, additional character slots, and more can be purchased in-game.
Finally, the Legendary access level promises maximum features and benefits including enhanced additional features. Legendary access will be available for a $14.99 USD monthly fee and includes all DLC packs at no cost, more than 15 character slots, more than 80 inventory slots, the ability to form unrestricted-sized leagues, and many other benefits.
More information on the DCUO free-to-play access levels can be found at www.DCUniverseOnline.com/free.
Comments
Re: DC Universe Online Goes Free-to-Play in October
I was actually looking at the model they're using and it's an almost carbon copy to the model that Paragon Studios came up with for the City of Heroes Franchise. I'd swear some executive at SoE looked at the CoH model and went to the marketing team and screamed "Make it happen here!"