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Sci-fi MMO EVE Online will no longer require an active subscription to play as of November, developer CCP Games has announced.
Instead, players will be able to jump into the game totally free of charge, competing against others, participating in missions and gaining access to a core set of skills.
But while the game will be available to play entirely for free, a subscription will still be required by players who wish to gain access to higher-level skills and explore some of the game’s more complex options.
Here’s executive producer CCP Seagull to explain:
“We think we have found a great path that will pretty much keep EVE as it is now but also let people take part for free. The key to that is Clone States. Clone scientists in New Eden have discovered a way to make clones that come with prepared neural pathways for a certain set of skills.
“They call this new starting state for clones the Alpha State. This method also makes clones so easy to create that the Empires of New Eden are making them available freely to anyone who’s willing and able to become a capsuleer.
“The skillset that Alpha State clones can train is specific to the race selected for the character, and it includes skills for flying Tech 1 frigates, destroyers and cruisers. These are some of the most popular ships in Eve and will let you take part in everything from mining and mission-running, to exploration and huge fleet fights.
“Alpha State clones train skills at a slightly slower rate but otherwise training works normally. You inject skill books and train any skills available in the Alpha State. These Alpha clones will be available to players for free.
“Clone scientists have then also discovered how to use neural expanders and cerebral acceleration technology to expand these clones to what they call the Omega State. The Omega State is exactly what you have today on a subscribed account: full-scale access and the same skill training rate.
“With clone states you’ll need an active subscription to have access to the Omega State. If you have an active subscription when clone states become available, you don’t need to do anything. The price of subscription will be the same, your subscription will continue and your skills keep training.
“If your subscription runs out, though, you can continue to play EVE. Your Omega clones just revert back to their Alpha state and any skills that you have trained beyond the Alpha set become inaccessible. You still have them, the Alpha state clone just doesn’t have the capacity to access them. If you want to use your full set of skills you need to get back to the Omega clone state by activating a subscription.”
Phew.
Tl;dr – From November, everyone can play EVE Online for free, but if you want access to advanced skills, you’ll still need to pay a subscription. A 1-month subscription costs £9.99.
For more information, take a look at the video below.
Source: CCP
