The Lego Group announced today that players will be able to sample some content from its Lego Universe MMO as a free-to-play digital download starting in August.

Free players will be confined to a "free-to-play zone" where they can
try out a limited selection of game content without a time limit,
according to today's announcement.

No microtransaction items are planned, but free players can pay $10 a
month to subscribe to the full game and access all adventure zones and
property worlds.

"We see Lego Universe as a key element for our digital play
division, and are adjusting the business model to make the game more
accessible to players, without the immediate obligation to purchase or
subscribe," Lego Group vice president Jesper Vilstrup said in a
statement.

Lego's announcement comes after a number of previously subscription-based MMOs, such as Cryptic's Champions Online and Turbine's Lord of the Rings Online, have recently transitioned to a free-to-play model. This morning, Paragon also announced its City of Heroes will become a free-to-play game later this year.

Lego took over the development of Lego Universe in February, absorbing much of the original NetDevil team that first launched the game last October.