Farlan admits Dark and Light was rushed; play for free
While it has only been available since June, the makers behind the MMO Dark and Light have seen it necessary to undergo an overhaul of their game. Because of this, they are offering up free subscriptions to players.
In a change of pace from typical game companies, Farlan actually admits to releasing the game too early:
Farlan Entertainment now acknowledges that the game was released prematurely due to pressure from its investors and from the gaming community.
[We are] embarking on a new initiative to correct and improve various operational aspects of Dark and Light. While worldwide play in the Internet game will not be interrupted during this period, Farlan is nonetheless offering a thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Dark and Light subscribers who have signed on thus far by offering three months of play with no monthly subscription fee.
Way to man up and admit your mistake Farlan. If only other companies would follow suit and do the same thing with their obviously rushed products.
Check out the full press apology release after the break.
Farlan Entertainment Acknowledges Dark and Light™ Performance Challenges, Announces Free Subscriptions As It Makes Improvements
• Three Months of No Invoices for Existing and New Subscribers
• No Disruption of Any Kind in Gameplay, User Access Keys or Accounts During Repair Period
• Farlan Adds Technical Resources to Assist with Improvements
• New Access Keys Still Available for USD $39.99 (39,99€ taxes included)
PORT LOUIS, MAURITUS - (August 15, 2006) - Farlan Entertainment, publisher of Dark and Light™, The Largest MMORPG You've Ever Seen!, today announced it is embarking on a new initiative to correct and improve various operational aspects of Dark and Light. While worldwide play in the Internet game will not be interrupted during this period, Farlan is nonetheless offering a thank you to the hundreds of thousands of Dark and Light subscribers who have signed on thus far by offering three months of play with no monthly subscription fee.
Dark and Light, which debuted in June of this year, has broken new ground in many aspects of MMORPG entertainment, bringing to the industry the largest virtual game surface ever, total freedom of movement without loading time, and three axes of character progression, among other breakthroughs. However, Farlan Entertainment now acknowledges that the game was released prematurely due to pressure from its investors and from the gaming community.
To rectify the situation, the company is taking several major steps. First, to facilitate the change/upgrade process, Farlan has signed a new production agreement with SnailGame Entertainment. SnailGame, a game developer which currently handles distribution of Dark and Light in China, will provide additional people to focus on graphic and scenic production. Farlan wishes to reiterate that NP Cube will continue to oversee Dark and Light's evolution and technical/creative control.
Second, Dark and Light's development team will focus on improving and correcting the game's technical challenges, especially its handling, user interface, processing speed, game immersion, and battle performance. The process of upgrading and improving Dark and Light is already underway; for example, a new major patch was recently installed that corrects a number of game balancing and graphic interface issues. Additional major improvements will be forthcoming very soon.
Third, to reward the Dark and Light subscribers who have stayed the course during the past few months, Farlan is making Dark and Light available for three months with no subscription fee; that is, no invoicing for the next three month period. All operational aspects of the game, including user accounts and player credits, will be maintained during this period. It is anticipated that this free subscription phase will provide ample time for the various technical corrections to be made.
The free Dark and Light subscription is being made available to current subscribers; however, new access keys are still available to any player wanting to take part in Dark and Light. Purchase price for an access key is $39.99 USD (39,99€, taxes included). To learn more, go to www.darkandlight.com.
