Pirates of the Burning Sea completes transition to free-to-play

Flying Lab Software's piratical MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea has officially made the transition to free-to-play -- you can now download, install and play the client with nothing more than a free Station account. Revenue is generated via an in-game store that sells extra inventory slots, ship insurance and premium missions to play, or players can fish up $14.99 a month out of Davy Jones' locker to join the Captains' Club and get all of the goodies that come with it. Former members of the game are now known as "premium members," with access to some of the premium content.

The free-to-play transition was originally delayed, as Flying Lab did a fair amount of work upgrading the servers and the game's content. But the wide open seas are apparently up and ready for you to set sail, at no cost at all. Competing MMO developer Turbine was able to double the revenues of not one but two MMOs by transitioning them over to a free-to-play system, and so we'll have to see if Flying Lab Software can do the same with PotBS.