Following the life cycle of most modern MMOs, WildStar relaunched today as a free-to-play game, dropping its subscription model. The new free-to-play version came with a big content update titled WildStar: Reloaded.
“We received a ton of positive feedback from our fan base through our closed beta and have worked to create a game that is fun, accessible, and engaging for all players," Carbine Studios product director Mike Donatelli wrote in a press release.
Relaunching as a free-to-play game can seem like an admission of failure, but it's a trend that many new MMOs are following. Even World of Warcraft is, after a decade, steadily losing subscribers. Moving to free-to-play can also earn the developer a ton of extra cash, as when The Old Republic made the move.
The development team itself has changed a lot, too. "We learned a lot in the months after launch," creative director Chad Moore told PC Gamer in our interview. "There is a huge difference between a development studio and a live studio. The team we have now is significantly changed and matured from the time when we launched the game."
Phil liked WildStar when he reviewed it. If you never checked out the colorful world of Nexus, or you tired of it quickly after the original launch, today would be an excellent day to check it out.
