By today's standards, an MMORPG running for over two years before going free-to-play has been pretty successful with the subscription model. So well done, Rift. Developer Trion Worlds today announced that it will switch the MMO to F2P on June 12, a respectable 25 months after launching. It'll do the usual microtransaction stuff, of course.
Free-to-players can romp through every area, quest, dungeon, raid, and character level, but have fewer character slots and carry fewer bags. One imagines those will be two of the "services" sold for real money. Trion will also sell the classes from its Storm Legion expansion and items.
"We are not selling power. We are not pay to win. Every piece of stat-granting equipment that you can buy from the store can also be gained through play," creative director Bill Fisher said. "Our philosophy is that the very best gear in the game must be earned."
Subscriptions fees will stick around optionally, offering boosts to XP, money, reputation, mount speed, and other rewards to those who fancy paying.
June 12 will also bring the launch of Rift version 2.3, with a new zone, extra rift challenges, and more open-world raid bosses. Heaps more raids, quests, and so on are planned beyond that.
Gosh, the gang at Trion Worlds are excited about the upcoming switch:
