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Champions Online goes free-to-play January 25

by Griffin McElroy on Jan 11th 2011 7:00PM

Strap on your utility belts, friends -- it's almost crimefightin' time. Well, okay, it's been crimefightin' time for a while now, but on January 25, it's going to be complimentary crimefightin' time. That's the date when Cryptic Studios will flip the switch on Champions Online over to free-to-play, giving players access to the title at no cost with the option of purchasing additional "Adventure Packs" to expand your superheroic experience. If you'd rather have access to all these offerings from the start, you can continue to subscribe to the full game for $14.99.

Oh, the change in price also comes with a change in title -- when the game relaunches, it'll be named Champions Online: Free-for-All. We don't get it. Is there going to be a bunch of new player vs. player functionality? Some kind of gruesome, super-powered bloodsport? Could it be that the heroes are -- oh, they mean "free, for all." Man, Cryptic should really reevaluate its use of punctuation.

Via: Big Download
Source: Cryptic Studios

Tags: Atari, champions-online, cryptic-studios, free-to-play, mmo, mmorpg, pc

Reader Comments (20)

I've thought for a while that America as a whole could use a refresher on punctuation.

Next up! Star Trek Online! (same company)

@b2trumpet

Ditto

might give this a try

btw....

wheres my DCU online review joystiq?

@warxroutione

its a freakin MMO thats been out less than a day. Give them some time.

@R Planteer

yes and i agree but you know they had a preview copy, i just need impressions, and i trust joystiqs reviews.they havnt failed me yet.

@warxroutione Check out totalhalibut's channel on youtube. He did a bunch of demo videos for the beta. Never makes it out of the starting area, but it's still a good look at the game.

@blackangel209

will do thank you ! im excited for this game just gotta get past the subscription

@warxroutione

IGN is doing mini previews as they go, go read em?

i was gonna give this a shot, but after reading what "free to play" means for this game, i'll pass. when i think f2p, i think something along the lines of you can play the game in it's entirety for free, but micro transactions are used for better/fancier equipment, premium auctions, more inventory space, etc. here? nope. if you don't subscribe, you dont even get to customize your character's skills. you pick one of six "standard" heroes (fire dude, ice dude, psychic) and they lock you into the skills and when you get them. lame sauce.

@jchan

Yeah I read that too...I mean it might be fun for a little while, but it is disappointing that they took one of the best parts out of the free model. I guess they still want people to pay the subscription fee. Go figure.

If onyl a mac version.

Now how about making City of Heroes/Villains free-to-play so we can play an even better game!

@wcarnation

Amen brother!
I played coh/cov for over 5 years, but with less free time and the monthly fee finally getting to me, I cancelled my subscription. I bought the life time subscription to Champions Online to save money and replace coh. What a huge mistake that was. I havn't touched the game in about a year. Ugh...

@Ruction

been out a year

Content has changed greatly and will do so again on F2P launch, your impressions of the game are really outdated unless you did the occasional playthrough in recent months.

Played the beta.

It's bad.

@Grimcicle

...what thunder?

I need some context on what's going on in that screenshot. My mind is beginning to wander.

I've been able to play that game for free since launch. I don't know why either. It's very, very odd.

@Credge

lol, you active in the community or do you not play it much?

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