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While Cryptic’s upcoming project Neverwinter was initially planned to be a co-op multiplayer title, it has been revealed it is now a fully-fledged free-to-play MMO.
The game will introduce a microtransaction system and will charge for consumable items, vanity pets, and cosmetic items, however Cryptic has no plans to make any in-game content premium-only.
While Neverwinter takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons universe, the studio will also be taking influence from combat style off action-oriented MMO Vindictus, which features twitch-oriented gameplay and pattern recognition, IGN reports.
Neverwinter is likely to launch later than originally expected, to the end of 2012.
Cryptic has recently been embracing the free-to-play model since being acquired by online publisher Perfect World. Recently it announced its MMO Star Trek Online would be adopting the new model by the end of the year.
Yet another MMO goes the route of free-to-play. But while a number of people – namely SOE’s John Smedley – have suggested the end of the subscription-based MMO is nigh, it’s still unlikely. Even with studios like Cryptic accepting the free-to-play business model as their go-to model for MMOs, it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing the likes of World of Warcraft or Star Wars: The Old Republic finding much incentive to do the same.
