‘Free-to-play’ is a term that refers to games that do not have box or download fees associated with them and do not incur a mandatory subscription. Some have optional subscriptions and are more properly referred to as hybrid F2P. Most have cash shops and microtransactions.
free to play
Vague Patch Notes: The player-provided guidance problem in MMORPGs
Final Fantasy XIV has a player-based mentor program and an automatic guidance network for new players. The idea is that certain players can volunteer...
LOTRO opens new legendary servers today, Before the Shadow is now free for VIPs
Lord of the Rings Online welcomed VIP players to a pair of brand-new progression servers today, one of which finally gives European players a...
Old School RuneScape once again applies adjustments to Deadman and Guthrix
This may have happened twice before, but that's not stopping Jagex from continuing to dial things in for Old School RuneScape players engaging with...
Crowdfunded multiplayer RTS Stormgate enters headstart today ahead of its August free-to-play launch
If you're an MMORTS junkie as MOP's Tyler is, you've probably been watching Stormgate's development with great interest over the last few years. In...
Perfect Ten: MMOs with outstanding tutorial sections
Tutorials! They're important. I even wrote an entire column about them recently, talking about how important they are in getting people into a new...
Lord of the Rings Online’s Update 41 adds birding hobby and hard tack crafting event today
Look to the skies and you may see Lord of the Rings Online's new hobby taking flight! That's right, today's Update 41 adds the...
Path of Exile applies several adjustments to Settlers of Kalguur and continues attacking launch bugs
We're once again checking in on Path of Exile and its newly released Settlers of Kalguur update, which appears to have moved away from...
Lord of the Rings Online’s two new progression servers, including an EU-based one, launch Thursday
While Boromir once famously said, "One does not simply log into Mordor," that's exactly what's going to happen this Thursday. Standing Stone Games announced...
StarCraft II-inspired multiplayer RTS Immortal Gates of Pyre plans Steam playtest this weekend
After a lengthy period of silence, the team behind indie RTS Immortal: Gates of Pyre has announced a playtest on Steam for August 2nd...
RuneScape microtransaction survey ponders the potential full removal of lockboxes
RuneScape's Treasure Hunter activity, aka the lockbox portion of its wider monetization scheme, is facing the potential for removal from the game, at least...
RuneScape founder’s MMO Brighter Shores hints at detective profession en route to Q3 launch
It's been a couple months since we last checked in with Brighter Shores, the RuneScape-inspired MMO by Andrew Gower that promised to get here...
PSA: APB Reloaded is shutting down console-to-PC character transfers on Friday
You might not recall this, but at the start of the year, Little Orbit made the shocking announcement that it would be shuttering the...
Ultima Online’s New Legacy and crackdown on third-party clients have vets rioting
Ultima Online is a very old and fairly small MMORPG nowadays, but even so you probably knew that it has a thriving emulator community,...
The MOP Up: Perfect World’s co-CEOs tap out
GamesIndustry is reporting that the two co-CEOs of Perfect World have been replaced as CEOs but remain as directors: "Perfect World CEO Xiao Hong...
The Game Archaeologist: A look back at proto-MMOs through the 1980s
Today I want to try something a little different as we look at MMORPG history. Rather than focus in on a single title or...
Path of Exile Settlers of Kalguur launch drove its Steam concurrency to an all-time peak
Last night, the Settlers of Kalguur update hit Path of Exile, which of course means it's time for the usual check-in on how the...
SDCC 2024: Daybreak unveils LOTRO’s Legacy of Morgoth and DCUO’s Harley Quinn vs. Apokolips
This past Friday was a pretty big one for fans of Daybreak Games' staple of MMORPGs, as several members of the various sub-studios under...
The Stream Team: Water wings and other AQ3D tidbits
Some days it's not about doing a grand story adventure, but just meandering through the odds and ends of unfinished business. And that's what...
RuneScape is getting its own comic book miniseries this fall
Sure, your MMO is cool, but does it have its own comic book? Oh pipe down, City of Heroes players. We hear you. Anyway,...
Massively on the Go: Pokemon Go’s August is leaning into Adventure
I must admit that Pokemon Go's traditional Adventure Week events have historically been a minor hit with me as they feature the fossil 'mon...
