Those generous young fellows over at Sony Online Entertainment have today announced plans for a brand new MMO title, that will be "ta-da!" free. Studio president John Smedley revealed the new game at the Austin Games Conference, but would only tell the Texas showcase that the new game would be subscription free. It's the little things that make the game available gratis, apparently, and Sony Online state that they are using a Chinese/Korean business model which generates income from the sale of in-game items and extra levels. Those cunning devils.
Like the Everquest II-related Sony Exchange, where in-game items can be bought and sold for cold, hard 'real-world' cash, Sony's forthcoming MMO will ply its trade using this method, selling in-game tools, weapons, characters and levels in return for a few virtual-tourist dollars. There's no specific platform information available yet, but a release in autumn 2006 is mooted, possibly on the PSP and maybe even the PS3.
NCsoft have already released Guild Wars in western markets on a subscription free basis, and this growing trend could be set to soar if Sony's tentative shift proves successful. More news is expected soon.
