NCSoft and Carbine Studios have announced today that Wildstar will become officially Free-to-Play from September 29, joining the very long list of MMORPGs that use this business model.
There is currently a closed beta test going on and it's accessible to all subscribers and selected beta testers. There's way more to this update than just a change in business model, though, according to the press release:
More than just a business model conversion, the free-to-play launch will be the title’s biggest game update yet thanks to new content, enhanced game systems, and countless quality of life improvements. Titled WildStar Reloaded, the upcoming content update is the culmination of months of improvements and tweaks that make the game bigger and better than ever. New players will enjoy a greatly streamlined starting experience, while veteran players will be handsomely rewarded for their loyalty. As an added perk, all players with active subscriptions at the time of the free-to-play transition will also receive exclusive items as a bonus.
While the first phase of the closed beta has been focused on testing the improved player experience—including new content and tutorials—phase two will ensure that the economic aspects of the free-to-play transition are launch-ready. The second phase also offer invited players a risk-free opportunity to test the new in-game store by buying NCoin—a real money currency that is all new to WildStar. All NCoin purchased during the second phase will be copied to players’ beta characters, allowing them to test the entire purchase process and the purchased NCoin will then be transferred in full to their live characters once the transition officially happens.
Wildstar held a lot of promise before its launch, but ultimately failed to grab the continued attention of MMORPG fans. Will Wildstar Reloaded enjoy a different success story? Well, at the very least you can try it for free now and make up your own mind.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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