Perfect World confirms Star Trek Online F2P model

[Grizz]

If you missed it in the previous thread, the CFO of Perfect World has confirmed that Cryptic is currently working on the free to play model for Star Trek Online. This comes less than two days of speculation over the video showing 'gold account' restrictions while attempting to edit a mission in the Foundry. Looks like it may have been the real deal after all.

So when Perfect World acquired Cryptic, one of the contribution from Perfect World to Cryptic is we can share our free-to-play experience with Cryptic. So I want to emphasize is that never we've done a free-to-play model game, so we're going to launch this game in US and also in China, so we expect to run these type if free-to-play model game. We have a bigger potential in US and also in China. And also Star Trek Online, after the acquisition, in fact Cryptic is working on the free-to-play model for Star Trek Online. This is going to be launched by the end of this year as well. So I think free-to-play model we have a bigger potential in US market and also in China market. Thank you.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/289163- ... transcript

I look forward to what becomes of this, both from Perfect World and Cryptic. May the game continue to flourish well into the future.

Signed,

Staff Officer Grizz
Star Trek Online Division CO

[Paenitet]

I have simply one thing to say to this.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Hm. Then again that depends how much a "Gold Account" would cost.

If it's about £10 then that's fine. But £30 or something. That's a bit going over my limit.

[Brex]

A gold accout is just the standard subscription or lifetime account.

Also to note, DStahl ahs been talking all over the forums about a players stipend for subscribing being a posssibility. Check out http://www.champions-online.com/f2p_matrix for an idea of what mght happen

[Paenitet]

Erm. What does stipend mean?

[Brex]

Like a reward. In the case of CO, your stipend for being a subscriber is 400 free CP every month.

[Paenitet]

Ooh! That'd be nice!

Are they doing that with STO?

[Brex]

There's a lot of talk about it.

[Paenitet]

Also say you have a life sub. Then they mak this transition and stuff. Do you have to get another life sub or does your one just continue?

[Brex]

It'll keep going, it'll just be like being a permanent "gold" member

[Paenitet]

Ah good.

[Nuclear_Sunshine]

that's cool if it goes F2P pretty soon.
My worries about the high (for me) cost of paying every month goes drastically down, I can play all the time, and just pay for gold when I feel I need it.
Plus if they introduce a micro-transaction market, then i can still pay my dues to the guys at cryptic, without being too hard on the wallet.

[Klaw]

Finally, I can get back in the game (hopefully) without breaking my bank....

The only thing that would make this better is if the Subscription fee dropped to like $7 a month.

[Paenitet]

I would probably pay for that actually. I bet it'll be normal price at first but then subriptions selling will go down and then they make it cheaper. Like you said Klaw. I hope that happens.

[Grizz]

Any update on this from Cryptic, will be sure to announce it here as soon as possible.

[Brex]

I'm lurking the STO forums, hard.