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Sony Online Entertainment's DC Universe Online, first released in January of this year, is going free-to-play next month on both PC and PlayStation 3.
According to SOE, both versions will receive a new three-tiered payment
system, allowing anyone to play the game for free, or pay a subscription
to receive in-game benefits.
Those who play for free will have access to all the current gameplay,
with the ability to create two characters, join a league and purchase
additional game packs and powers.
Premium players are those who have paid at least $5 towards the game in
some form, including former subscribers, and new players who have
purchased at least $5 worth of items. These players will have access to
an extra character slot and more inventory slots.
Legendary players are those who pay a $14.99 monthly subscription fee.
For these players, all DLC packs will be made available at no extra
cost, along with more than 15 character slots, the ability to form
unrestricted-sized leagues, and more.
SOE executive producer Lorin Jameson said to gaming news website IGN that the move to free-to-play has nothing to do with current subscriber numbers.
"In terms of 'Is it a result in a drop in subs' -- absolutely not," he
argued. "This is the right business model. If I can be honest, the game
ended up costing a lot more than we thought it would, and this was our
preferred business model from day one."
Earlier this month, developer Cryptic Studios revealed that its MMO Star Trek Online will be swapping to the free-to-play model before the end of the year.
For those of us who lack Batman's financial resources, maintaining several monthly MMO subscriptions can be a challenge. Sony Online Entertainment recognizes this, and as a result, the company has just announced that DC Universe Online will be officially joining the freemium revolution toward the end of October.
The new business model will feature a familiar tiered access plan with
three membership levels. The Free, Premium, and Legendary plans feature
full access to the current game while offering different levels of
"convenience and flexibility." Free players will be limited to two
character slots, and new "downloadable game packs/updates, additional
character slots, powers, and more" will be available for purchase via
microtransactions.
Premium players, i.e., folks who have spent at least $5 US on the game
(including former subscribers and in-game item purchasers), will receive
additional character slots, inventory slots, and higher cash limits.
Legendary players will take home "maximum features and benefits"
including free DLC, more than 15 character slots, and more than 80
inventory slots, all for the regular $14.99 monthly fee. DCUO
will also continue to be available on SOE's Station Pass (and
subscribing to the monthly all-in-one service nets you Legendary status
in DCUO as well as access to all of SOE's MMORPGs).
Finally, Massively sat down with SOE president John Smedley and producer Lorin Jameson to chat about the new model, and you can find that transcription after the break.
Massively: Why didn't F2P happen in the first place when the
game launched? At what point did you see this business model as the way
to go for DCUO?
John Smedley: From our perspective, the business model
has evolved, particularly on the PlayStation 3. We got a lot of feedback
from users who said they'd love to give this thing a try but for the
monthly sub attached to it. PS3 users voiced that very loudly, and we
listened to them, and we decided to give this model a try. We think,
long-term especially, it will be much more advantageous to the players.
Massively: In the past you've talked about how you prefer
freemium as opposed to just straight free-to-play, so will you be
expanding on the existing cash shop?
John Smedley: Oh sure. F2P games very often have microtransactions built into them. I don't like the term cash shop.Lorin Jameson: There's going to be a lot of items in
the store, both to upgrade the capabilities of your account and your
characters as well as appearance items and helpful consumables. It's
very similar to the types of items we're already selling.
Massively: Do you see future content coming out specifically for the cash shop, maybe cosmetic or non-combat features?
Lorin Jameson: We'll certainly be adding items to the
store. The current items in the store are all convenience or appearance
items, and we'll be continuing that trend. Content, at this point, is
our DLCpacks, which we'll still be releasing on a quarterly basis. They
are optional purchases that you can buy in the store as well.
Massively: So with the DLC, right now there's a distinction
between the regular game updates (i.e., the fixes and patches) and the
content expansions. Will that distinction still be there between the
updates and the paid DLC under the new model?
Lorin Jameson: Most definitely. We'll continue to add
features to improve the play experience, and there will be content that
will be added as part of the free access level. That will continue, but
we'll also be putting a lot of effort into our quarterly DLC releases as
well.
John Smedley: Just to be clear, we gave the current Green Lantern content pack to every subscriber for free, and in the future that's the way we see things going.
Lorin Jameson: Yeah, as a Legendary access member you will have access to all future DLC without additional costs.
John Smedley: We listened to the players, and a lot of
them felt like they wanted the Fight for the Light content pack as part
of their subscription, and we listened and said, OK, let's do it.
Massively: In terms of competition, Champions Online went free-to-play and City of Heroes is working on it. Is this something that factored into your decision?
John Smedley:Not at all. We have a very strong belief in the future of the F2P
business model. We've got our own ideas, and we feel very strongly that
this is the future of the industry. We're certainly exploring it
ourselves very deeply, and you can expect more announcements in the near
future.
Massively: Does that mean that all SOE games will be free-to-play at some future point?
John Smedley: The statement I would make is that we
view free-to-play as the future, and we're very interested in it and
excited about it. I'm leaving a little bit of room there because
business models evolve over time. You can look for some announcements
about current games in the future, and we're really looking closely at
it. We like the model.
Massively: In terms of advertising, you mentioned that console
players were interested in the game, but the subscription held them
back. Do you think this business model will open up the console MMO
market a bit more?
John Smedley: Yes, and it's interesting because we sold
more PS3 units than we did PC. Our sub base right now is like three to
one, PS3 to PC. We see this thing really opening up, and it's precisely
the reason we see the business model as really advantageous for all
users, particularly console users. We will now have the only two F2P
console MMOs there are, and I'm really excited about that. Free Realms is doing really well on the PS3, and a lot of the data that we're seeing from that is what drove us to this decision.
Lorin Jameson: There's no doubt that DCUO
really resonated with PS3 players. The combat style, the art, the
fidelity of the content -- there's no doubt that many players loved this
game. This is an opportunity to give as many people as possible a
chance to play and enjoy it.
Massively: Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Lorin Jameson: We're going to be adding a lot of things
to the game, and we're going to continue with the great content we've
added to date. We think the new model will allow everyone to find his or
her own way of experiencing the game. It's going to open up a great
experience that our existing players have been enjoying for eight months
now.
John Smedley: This move to F2P indicates how we've been
listening to our players. A good example of that is the addition of
non-recurring payment methods (which may not happen at launch but
definitely down the road). That's really going to be a big deal for
players. Forty percent of players who quit EverQuest II cite recurring subscriptions as a major reason.
I'm married, I have kids, and I have a stupid number of games that I
play, and every month it adds up. That's exactly the kind of thing that
consumers are wary of when economic times are tough. Part of the future
is giving players the ability to play and pay the way they want to.
Massively: Kind of like the lifetime VIP in Free Realms?
John Smedley: No, more like a three-month pass that you
can buy and then it doesn't recur. Eventually I think it'll be
month-to-month non-recurring.
Lorin Jameson: If you really want to experience DCUO
but you don't want to pay on a recurring basis, you'll be able to say
for the next 30 days that you have all of the features of the Legendary
level without the credit card commitment. A lot of players that feel
like they're getting value from the game are also nervous about
subscriptions.
John Smedley: Giving players choices is the central
theme of where we're going as a company. We don't want people to feel
like they can only go down one path. Anything you can get in a
subscription you'll be able to get outside of a subscription.
Lorin Jameson: Pretty much free-to-play your way.
Massively: Thanks for talking with us!
