Starting from Q1 2011, Cryptic's superhero MMORPG Champions online will go free-to-play. Good news? Bad news? Perhaps it's good to the company, just take a look at DDO and LOTRO. Champions online's subscription mode will continue to exist and those current subscribers will remain unchanged while the game provides full gaming contents to those who want to play for free. The closed beta for F2P Champions Online will start on November 9th, 2010.
If you choose F2P mode, you are silver member and can't access to the Adventure Packs unless you buy it. If you are currently a subscriber of the game, you are golden member who can access to current and future Adventure Packs for free and have more costume parts than F2P players. You can read more detailed about the difference between golden member and silver member available on the official site or on the FAQ.
It's obvious that Cryptic wants to enlarge the game's player base which can give them a bigger chance to generate profit from item shop. "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 Gold is poised to build upon its success and to establish a new leadership position as the first free-to-play superhero MMO."
The switch from B2P to F2P has become unstoppable in MMO market, just guess who's the next one?
