While I can think of one example of an MMO that went from free-to-play to paid, most are moving in the other direction. The Elder Scrolls Online dropped its subscription, Guild Wars 2 (at least the core game) went free a few days ago, and now we've got a date for when WildStar too will be available for free: September 29.
We reviewed WildStar highly—Phil gave it an 89—but developer Carbine seems to have struggled despite the critical acclaim as employees were laid off last year. And so, the decision was made to make WildStar free to play.
"It's the better business model," product director Mike Donatelli told us a few months ago.
It's not only the business model that will change, however. A content update called "WildStar Reloaded" will include "new content, enhanced game systems" and "countless quality of life improvements".
Current subscribers will get exclusive items when the update launches and can access the closed beta for the free-to-play version already. If you're not a subscriber but want to give it a try, you can sign up at the WildStar site.
