There was a time when subscription-based MMO's ruled the roost, but in the world of free-to-play, those few stalwarts of old have had a harder time pulling in an audience than they used to. How do you turn those fates around? How do you turn free players into paying customers? Sony Online Entertainment has a clever idea: offer a single subscription price to get top-tier memberships in all of their games.Starting today, Sony Online Entertainment will deliver full memberships in all of the following games in exchange for a mere $14.99: Everquest, Everquest II, DC Universe Online, Planetside 2, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and the upcoming games Everquest Next, Landmark and H1Z1. You'll also get 500 Station Cash every month, a 10% discount on marketplace purchases, and "access to exclusive promotions and offers throughout the year."So what's the catch?
Although EverQuest may possibly be the longest running online game of all time, and even with all of its changes over the years, one aspect has always stayed constant: the need to pay a monthly subscription fee. But finally this is no longer the case, as EverQuest is now available to play for free for anyone familiar with the game or not.
It's a sad day for online adventurers: Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) has announced that it's shutting down four of its massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). Among the casualties are Cosmic Rift, Infantry, Star Chamber: The Harbringer Saga, and EverQuest Online Adventures for the PlayStation 2. All four games will breathe their last by March 29.
Sony Online Entertainment, developers of Free Realms, has announced another free-to-play virtual world aimed this time at Star Wars fans. Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures will launch this fall and will be aimed at fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV series on the Cartoon Network.