Hey, here’s a date: Champions Online will go free-to-play officially on Jan. 25, 2011, according to Cryptic. Previously, the game’s F2P switch was scheduled for a Q1 2011 release after a wave or two of beta testing.

After the switch, we’ll have to start calling Champions Online by its new name: Champions Online: Free For All. Also, we'll have to get used to its new format that'll allow free participation in the MMO without the fees.

As you’d expect, Champions Online: Free For All will feature a robust in-game store where F2P players can purchases in-game content like Adventure Packs, items, and abilities a la carte. But Cryptic is also keeping its membership options. If you sign up for $15 a month, most of the store stuff unlocks for you to use at will. This here handy features matrix does a great job at breaking down what you'll actually get if you do decide to pay the monthly fee after testing out the F2P waters. 
 

Hey, here’s a date: Champions Online will go free-to-play officially on Jan. 25, 2011, according to Cryptic. Previously, the game’s F2P switch was scheduled for a Q1 2011 release after a wave or two of beta testing.

After the switch, we’ll have to start calling Champions Online by its new name: Champions Online: Free For All. Also, we'll have to get used to its new format that'll allow free participation in the MMO without the fees.

As you’d expect, Champions Online: Free For All will feature a robust in-game store where F2P players can purchases in-game content like Adventure Packs, items, and abilities a la carte. But Cryptic is also keeping its membership options. If you sign up for $15 a month, most of the store stuff unlocks for you to use at will. This here handy features matrix does a great job at breaking down what you'll actually get if you do decide to pay the monthly fee after testing out the F2P waters. 
 

...swing and a miss!   
 
OT: Though I'm now inclined to check this out, if only for the character creator.
 
edit: What, really?

How long do you think it's going to take DC Universe to follow suit?

I liked it, I'll probably go back

After watching the DCO stream I'm actually interested in this

I liked it when it frist came out, the only big problem was them messing with balance and lack of content. Been hearing good things over the year tho so interested in getting back into it. 
 
Shame you can't just continue using your existing character without first changing it to the f2p archetype. But makes sense I suppose.

Neato, one of my favorite character creators in an MMO.

I wonder how the people at Sony's DC:UO headquarters are feeling about this news?

the character creator in this game stomps a mud hole in the character creator for DCU

i loved my character but like i was able to solo up to like lvl 35 taking some air out of the whole mmo thing

Cool, now I'll actually try this game.

I won't play an MMO unless I'm paying.  I don't need their charity.

Sounds like a good deal to me. I played for a month and found it to be pretty fun, but I don't really need 8 characters or anything, so the free version should tide me over if I were to ever have the urge again.

I wonder how many characters one account can keep. 
 
Because that's probably all I'm going to be doing.

This seems like a direct response to DC Universe Online.

So do you still have to buy the game first, or is it totally free?  If it's totally free, I'm going to be creating characters for weeks.

Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news.

" Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news. "

DCUO is going to be so dominant that the only way anyone would play champions is if it were free.  I think theres tons of people willing to pay $15 for DCUO probably until PS4 comes out in several years with an even better MMO superhero game.

Star Trek Online will be soon to follow. Both games are so overly instanced that they don't deserve to charge $15 monthly.

" Maybe now I'll actually be able to find people to play with. 
 
@The_Joker said:

" Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news. "

Actually some of the added benefits to lifetime subs are pretty awesome. We basically get all the perks that any monthly member gets without paying anything.  "

" So do you still have to buy the game first, or is it totally free?  If it's totally free, I'm going to be creating characters for weeks. "

" I wonder how many characters one account can keep.  Because that's probably all I'm going to be doing. "

Cool I'll probably check this out when it happens.

This doesn't surprise me. LOTRO have tripled their revenue since going free to play so I think a lot of MMO's are going to start going for this model.

Ive actually wanted to try this game out for a while and now that its free ive got no reason not to!  I can run Star Trek online on my underpowered dell laptop at decent settings and since Champions runs on pretty much the same engine i should be able to run that too.  Good for when im on my trips down south at work ^_^

I think this a good move for CO because of the new release of DC Universe just coming out and many MMO fans that might not want a subscription option to play. I also like the option of a subscription for those who don't mind spending a little to get a little ;)

I tried the demo a while ago and thought it was pretty cool, but like most MMOs, the monthly fees turned me off.  Might give it a go now.

Always wanted to try this game, so this is great news.

" @IntramanDW said:

" Maybe now I'll actually be able to find people to play with. 
 
@The_Joker said:

" Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news. "

Actually some of the added benefits to lifetime subs are pretty awesome. We basically get all the perks that any monthly member gets without paying anything.  "

You paid $300 "

Still uninteresting to me. If I buy the game, I want to be able to access the content. Too much is being cut off in the F2P version.
 
And Guild Wars is proof that a quality MMO can be supported without a monthly fee.

" I won't play an MMO unless I'm paying.  I don't need their charity. "

might give it a try

" @IntramanDW said:

" Maybe now I'll actually be able to find people to play with. 
 
@The_Joker said:

" Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news. "

Actually some of the added benefits to lifetime subs are pretty awesome. We basically get all the perks that any monthly member gets without paying anything.  "

You paid $300 "

Well if I don't have to buy anything new, I'll jump on to see how it is. I have the original in my steam account, haven't played it in forever. 

Good thing I bought the Steam version. I can finally work on those achievements.

This games alright. I think it's kind of a shame really, as there's a lot of good in this game and I spent too much time playing it. The problem was it eventually became as much of a grind as MMOs tend to be and I had nothing to do to balance that out. I just got kinda bored. 
 
To be fair, though, I did play too much when I played but I never felt compelled to go past the free month ( i bought this when it was on sale for 6.50 on steam). That was good enough for me at the time. I may play more in short bursts, though, if its free and this new pay scheme doesn't take anything from the base game play already there. Who knows, maybe if it's free to play there will be more people playing. That's something it was lacking a bit, the servers were always so dead.
 
All in all the game is fun, but don't play to much or you'll get burned out on it.

I bought Champions Online back when it came out and have re-upped my subscription once or twice to play it. Might as well play if it's gonna be free.

Cryptic and mmo's dont mix.

I'd like to see a quick look for DCUO... Any chance guys?

" I'd like to see a quick look for DCUO... Any chance guys? "

" DCUO is going to be so dominant that the only way anyone would play champions is if it were free.  I think theres tons of people willing to pay $15 for DCUO probably until PS4 comes out in several years with an even better MMO superhero game. "

DCUO is over priced. I think Champs should have waited a bit before going free.

Excited to check this out. No MMO has ever kept me for longer than a month, so screw paying for one. I've probably spent DAYS in the character creator of the trial version, and I can see myself spending even more days once I can start actually playing any of those designs past the tutorial level.
 
Even though a lot of the stuff that makes the game fun has been shuffled over to "pay to get this" territory, I can see myself shelling out a couple of bucks to access some of it. Like, you only get two character slots, more than half of the travel abilities are exclusive to paying members (but not subscribers! Even non-subscribers can pay a one time fee for some of the stuff), you can't customize the colors of your powers, you only get a single inventory bag... Things like that. Things that would drive people who are used to having those things insane. But since I'm not used to that, I'll be fine!
 
I wonder if it's possible to buy a single travel power. If so, I wonder how much one would cost. And I wonder which one of my designs I should take for a spin... Between jet boots, swinging, tunneling, ice slide, earth flight, teleportation, acrobatics and super speed, I've got a few suitable characters for each travel power that I could pick from: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1098605/champs.jpg

" @IntramanDW said:

" Maybe now I'll actually be able to find people to play with. 
 
@The_Joker said:

" Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news. "

Actually some of the added benefits to lifetime subs are pretty awesome. We basically get all the perks that any monthly member gets without paying anything.  "

You paid $300 "

@Anthony said:

" @IntramanDW said:

" Maybe now I'll actually be able to find people to play with. 
 
@The_Joker said:

" Anyone with a lifetime sub to this game has to be enthralled by this news. "

Actually some of the added benefits to lifetime subs are pretty awesome. We basically get all the perks that any monthly member gets without paying anything.  "

You paid $300 "

around 200, but that works out to be a year of sub fees anyway.

I remember watching the Quick Look for this. I'm actually more tempted now, subs for games always put me off. That said, I'm not huge on MMOs anyway so I'm still not sure whether I'll bother or not.