Sony Online Entertainment is aiming to attract more players to its fantasy MMO EverQuest II by launching a free-to-play membership tier with access to restricted game features.
EverQuest was one of the original Massively Multiplayer games but although the sequel EverQuest II is popular, it has struggled against the behemoths of the genre such as World of Warcraft.
SOE plans to tempt more users into an Evercrack addiction by launching a service called EverQuest Extended, which splits the game’s membership into four tiers – Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
Platinum is the most expensive at $200/year, Gold is $15/month, Silver a one-off $10 fee and Bronze being free to play. Different tiers have access to different classes, quests and game areas and the uppermost levels of the game are restricted to Platinum users or those who have payed a supplemental fee. Only Platinum members can play the latest game expansion, Sentinel’s Fate.
Bronze users only have access to four classes and can only have a few quests active at any one time. EverQuest Extended will be installable through a new web front-end ad SOE is promising that all versions of the game will be receiving a graphical overhaul soon.
August 7th | £varies | EverQuest Extended (via Eurogamer)
