Pirates of the Burning Sea Going Free-to-Play

Free-to-play is a term that seems to be gaining more momentum with each passing week, so it's no surprise to see more MMOGs making the switch. Today we have yet another member jumping on the free-to-play bandwagon with Pirates of the Burning Sea. In a recent devblog, the plan to overhaul the business model from subscription to free-to-play is detailed. As with most other games that make the free-to-play switch, the intention is to remove the subscription barrier and get more people to play.

First, it reduces the barrier of entry for new players to come in and try the game. Experience has shown us that players who try the game tend to stick with the game, so we want to remove any impediment for a player to try the game. Free trials are great, but the knowledge that there’s a required subscription makes potential players think in terms of commitment—”do I want to be paying every month for the long term” rather than “will I have fun with it tonight?” The first question is hard for any product, but we feel really good about the answer to the second.

Thanks to Xeon for the catch.