Cryptic Studio’s MMO Star Trek Online will be going free-to-play by the end of the year, following in the footsteps of other MMOs that have recently switched from the upfront payment model to the free-to-play model.
Cryptic was recently bought by Chinese game publishing company, Perfect World, who also publish Champions Online (another MMO that switched from the subscription model to free-to-play) and have the exclusive global publishing rights to Runic Games’ Torchlight.
“I think free-to-play model [has]a bigger potential in US market and also in China market,” said Perfect World chief financial officer Kelvin Lau.
Perfect World also have a large catalogue of MMORPGS that they have launched themselves, with most of their success coming from the eastern market. They are best known for the MMO self-titled Perfect World, and less well-known titles such as Legend of Martial Arts, Zhu Xian, Chi Bi, and Pocketpet Journey West.
Will you be checking out Star Trek Online when it goes free-to-play? Did the original price tag put you off playing the game? Let us know!
Star Trek Online Going Free-To-Play [GamesIndustry.biz]
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