Champions online Free to Play in 2011

Atari Europe and Cryptic Studios have announced a change to superhero MMO Champions Online: from Q1 2011 the game will be free-to-play.

champions online Champions online Free to Play in 2011

So anyone can download the game and play up to maximum level for free. There is no subscription and no upfront charge.

Champions Online will follow in the footsteps of Turbine MMOs Dungeons & Dragons Online and The Lord of the Rings Online, which both turned (or are turning) free-to-play. DDO had great success in the US: the switch to F2P attracted one million users and boosted revenues 500 per cent.

It mostly seem to be custom archetypes that are being locked off, so no making an Iron Man/Iceman combo. But as far as missions go, it’s almost everything except the 2 extra areas (including the recent Demonflame). That’s certainly a lot of game for free, the sub seems more about making your character more customised to your needs.

Champions online free to play vs pay features comparison

	Gold Members $14.99 monthly (or Lifetime)	Silver Players Free
Custom Archetypes	Free [?]	Unavailable [?]
Base Archetypes	Free	Free
Gold Archetypes	Free	Purchaseable
Character Slots	8+ [?]	2 [?]
All Zones	Free	Free
All Character Levels	Free	Free
Adventure Packs	Free	Purchaseable [?]
Nemesis	Free	Free
PvP	Free	Free
Base Costumes	More than 3,000 parts	More than 3,000 parts
Gold Costumes	More than 400 parts	Purchaseable
Premium Costume Packs	Purchaseable	Purchaseable
Costume Slots	3+ [?]	1+ [?]
Crafting	Free	Free
Inventory Bag Slots	4	1 [?]
Base Travel Powers	Free	Free
Gold Travel Powers	Free	Purchaseable
Power Tinting	Free	Unavailable
Special Devices	Purchaseable	Purchaseable
Market House Lots	10 [?]	5 [?]
Veteran Rewards	Free [?]	Unavailable
Chat	Unrestricted	Limited [?]
Supergroup Creation	Free	Limited [?]
Join Supergroups	Free	Free
Mail	Free	Limited [?]
Forum Access	Free	Restricted [?]
Customer Service	Free live support	Self-help knowledge-base
Priority Login	Free	Unavailable