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Choose My Adventure: Out of drydock!
It was a happy return to the high seas for Arienne Sauvage. You might have noticed that Choose My Adventure went dark for a couple of weeks, and that's because of the unexpected downtime from the attack on Sony Online Entertainment. Now that things are back up and running, I'm ready to set sail for the last few entries of my adventure in Pirates of the Burning Sea. Join me this week as I evaluate the Welcome Back rewards, polish up my ship combat skills, and search for buried treasure!
Pirates of the Burning Sea completes transition to free-to-play
Flying Lab Software's piratical MMO Pirates of the Burning Sea has officially made the transition to free-to-play -- you can now download, install and play the client with nothing more than a free Station account. Revenue is generated via an in-game store that sells extra inventory slots, ship insurance and premium missions to play, or players can fish up $14.99 a month out of Davy Jones' locker to join the Captains' Club and get all of the goodies that come with it. Former members of the game are now known as "premium members," with access to some of the premium content. The free-to-play transition was originally delayed, as Flying Lab did a fair amount of work upgrading the servers and the game's content. But the wide open seas are apparently up and ready for you to set sail, at no cost at all. Competing MMO developer Turbine was able to double the revenues of not one but two MMOs by transitioning them over to a free-to-play system, and so we'll have to see if Flying Lab Software can do the same with PotBS.
Flying Lab details Pirates of the Burning Sea F2P conversion
Flying Lab Software, makers of the Pirates of the Burning Sea historical naval MMORPG, recently decided it was time for the subscription-based business model to walk the plank. While Flying Lab CEO Russell Williams penned an introductory devlog breaking the news late last week, the piece was light on the details, setting the stage for a more in-depth look at the decision from a gameplay perspective. Flying Lab game designer Jason "Mr. Nutty" Gettel checks in with another devlog designed to address introductory questions that current players and tire-kickers may have about the title. While there's nothing revolutionary about Flying Lab's take on RMT (it features the standard item shop, along with the equally standard no-game-breaking-items-for-sale mantra), it's good to see it spelled out after Williams' somewhat cryptic announcement. One interesting wrinkle that bears watching is the way Flying Lab is implementing perks for Captain's Club members (the new name for monthly subscribers). Among other things, subbers will enjoy an experience bonus as well as increased loot and faction gain over their F2P brethren. Read the full article on the game's official website, and be sure to look for Massively's exclusive Flying Lab interview in the coming days.
