September 10th.

That is the day that Lord of the Rings Online follows Dungeons & Dragons Online into the land of Free to Play.

Or endless beginner trial.

Or no-money down access.

Or however you want to frame the business model that Turbine is adopting.

But the change is coming.  The floodgates will be open. (Current subscribers will get a 2 day head start)

The LOTRO Store will be a fact of the game.

How much the store, and the unfettered access to the the game will ..read the full article

Kingdom Heroes, the free-to-play game from Aeria Games, is an intensely PvP-oriented MMO.  As players fight against rival nations, spectacular player versus player action erupts as the struggles between the Three Kingdoms continue.

Epic spells, exciting melee combat and the rewards of skill over sheer brawn are displayed in this next batch of four brand new, action-packed Kingdom Heroes screenshots.

If you are a fan of Domo, you’ll be happy to know you can have your very own Domo pet in SOEs free-to-play MMORPG, Free Realms.  In addition to the pet, there will be other Domo-centric merchandise available to buy, including backpacks and hats.

SOE has also extended their Lifetime Membership promotion.  It expires tomorrow, but for anyone interested, it’s only $29.99 for a limetime membership, well worth it, since the premium content adds quite a ..read the full article

Quest Online has just announced that their fantasy based MMO; Alganon, is going to be completely free to play on August 13th!  What does this mean for MMO lovers?  It means that you no longer have to walk to your local game store and purchase this online adventure for $19.95.  This Friday, anyone that has been or is currently interested in Alganon Online, will be able to download the full game client from the official website.  After much delay, Alganon ..read the full article

Certainly Sony Online Entertainment has given us a lot to chew on with their announcement of EverQuest II extended.

Let me put up that chart again.

EverQuest II Extended Membership Matrix

Certainly, the idea of free EverQuest II has appeal.  Free anything does.

There are also obvious downsides illustrated by this chart.

If you are a current EverQuest II subscriber, I am sure that none of the subscription models hold a lot of interest.  For $15 a month, you’re already getting more than what ..read the full article

As of late, naval warfare has become a growing niche in the MMO genre. In addition to Pirates of the Burning Sea and Vanguard, Darkfall has been promoting ship combat as a viable catalyst of PvP and clan politics. However, in these games, shipbuilding is only a part of the overall experience, and a largely optional one, at that (with the slight exception of PoTBS).

Enter Captains of DarkTide, a free-to-play MMO focused entirely on sea combat. Skill trees, upgrades, and ..read the full article

Despite their recent decision to adopt a free-to-play model, Turbine remains ambitious and passionate about Lord of the Rings Online. So passionate, in fact, that they are reimagining their vision for the game, and taking a microscope to the game’s entire instancing system. Judging by the staggering amount of instanced content and handcrafted material, this undertaking is clearly not for the faint of heart. Fortunately for us, Turbine’s developer team is not afraid to get their hands dirty and dig right in ..read the full article

Well, we can certainly see which way the wind is blowing this year… in the direction of free to play… or no cover charge, if you prefer.

As noted over at Massively this morning, Sony Online Entertainment announced EverQuest II Extended, their version of the free to play.

Like the Lord of the Rings Online free to play announced earlier this year, there will be different access for different plans, from free to various fees.

EverQuest II Extended Membership Matrix

However, unlike the ..read the full article

As their final phases of closed beta testing reach fruition, Perfect World Entertainment Inc. has disclosed plans to begin open beta evaluations on their newest F2P MMO, Heroes of Three Kingdoms, Tuesday, July 27th. Perfect World Entertainment Inc. has an impressive repertoire of successful online games, including Battle of the Immortals, Jade Dynasty, and Perfect World International. To round it all off, the company has also proven adept at single player games, receiving critical acclaim for their single-player RPG, Torchlight.

Reportedly ..read the full article

Good news for all you Mapler’s out there!

NEXON Europe has announced a brand new class to their free-to-play MMO MapleStory, the Aran. As one of the first five protectors of MapleStory, Aran has awoken from an icy chamber a normal being with no memory or powers. Players will be able to access Aran, who is a warrior type class, and will engage in a brand new combat mechanic especially designed for Aran, the Combo System. ..read the full article

In a recent news post by Allods Online developers, they respond to player feedback in regards to cursed items, incense, and current player leveling experience.

CHOMP responds to recent player worries that the game has basically become a pay-to-play MMO. With important items only available through the Item Shop, players have expressed that Allods Online “seems” free-to-play, but for a player to advance, they would have to eventually buy items from the Item Shop with real money. Developers reiterate the fact ..read the full article

Be one of the first to get your MMO loving hands on Divine Souls!

We are pleased to announce that we are giving away 2000 beta keys to Outspark’s free-to-play action MMO. The game is circled around the main goal of becoming, yes, a “Divine Soul.” To do this, players must master certain aspects of combat, and attack combos. Players can team up against “Cursed Souls” or even participate in player vs. player (PvP) combat. Players can choose to be either:

burda:ic recently announced their launch of S4 League in North America. The popular European third-person shooter, originally developed by Neowiz Games, is free-to-play and extends burda:ic’s effort of reaching out to the western hemisphere’s multiplayer market.

S4 League is a fast-paced online shooter with eight different classes each with their own type of arsenal and skills. The gameplay is primarily team-focused and lets the player wield a wide variety of weaponry for an optimized gaming experience.

“burda:ic has done an outstanding job ..read the full article

MMOCrunch.com was lucky enough to be able to grab an interview with Nexon Marketing Associate Chris Van Hook. Nexon is the developer behind such popular and upcoming titles as Maple Story, Dungeon Fighter Online, Dragon Nest and Vindictus. Chris let us in on some exciting news both concerning Nexon and the possible future of free-to-play MMOs.

MMOCrunch.com: How did Nexon feel its E3 showing went?

Chris Van Hook: It was a great success and we are elated to welcome more gamers into our ..read the full article

Bigpoint.com, an MMO games portal most famous for DarkOrbit, has announced today that it will now be providing Frogwares Studio and Focus Home Interactive’s MMORTS, World of Battles. Unlike many of Bigpoint.com’s other games, World of Battles is a client-based game, not browser-run. It is, however, still completely free to play. It is a “tabletop-wargaming-inspired” real-time strategy MMO, with features such as guilds that would be found in other MMOs. Players can choose from nine races, and play against up ..read the full article

MMOFPS Global Agenda from developers Hi-Rez Studios, which previously had a subscription-based part of the game focusing on guild vs guild PvP, has announced that it is removing the subscription fee completely. The game is available on Steam where it is currently sold on a 33% discount for $26.79 or €20.09.

“Hi-Rez Studios is committed to delivering the best value in PC gaming”, said Todd Harris, Global Agenda Executive Producer. “In addition to including all of the game’s initial launch content ..read the full article

Sometimes the setting of a new game makes the difference between a game that you will wait to play, if at all, and so interesting you start to anticipate playing it. When first looking at Rock Hippo Production’s first MMOTPS (Third Person Shooter) MicroVolts, my first reaction was, “Oh, another shooter”, yet as I watched the trailer, browsed the website and looked at some of the in-game screenshots, it began to pique my interest.

MicroVolts comes across as a mixture of ..read the full article

Though MMOs switching from subscription-based to free to play is no longer entirely out of the ordinary, particularly since the successful relaunch of Dungeons & Dragons Online and the anticipated relaunch of Turbine’s other MMO Lord of the Rings Online as free to play, it usually comes later in the life of a game. With this in mind, it is somewhat surprising to see Hi-Rez Studios’ Global Agenda becoming free to play, as it was only released in February 2010, ..read the full article