DC Universe Online Hits the Free-to-Play Switch!

Depite a slight blip in the start date, DC Universe Online finally goes free-to-play, starting today for the PlayStation 3 and the PC.

As mentioned in the original announcement post, the new freemium DCUO will support three subscription tiers: Free, Premium (spend at least $5), and Legendary ($14.99/mo.)  Each tier will give you access to the game, but the higher tiers have significant advantages, like increased character slots.

Snag the PC version at the DCUO homepage or download the console version at the PlayStation Store via the PS3.  (Remember to pick up the "Fight for the Light" DLC expansion to access your inner willpower for $9.99 or for free for Lengendary members!)

DC Universe Online Going Free-to-Play

Only seven months have passed since the game was first released, but, in a somewhat surprising move (at least to me), Sony Online Entertainment announced that their acclaimed superhero MMO, DC Universe Online, is going free to play next month on both the PS3 and the PC.

In order to sustain the free-to-play business model, DCUO will have three tiered subscription levels - Free, Premium, and Legendary - and plenty of available microtransactions.

All new players will start at the free level.  The Free tier will give players access to the full game, but will limit the amount of characters the player can create and limit the amount of gold and items each character can hold.  All game updates will be free, but DLC will only be available for purchase.

The Premium tier will be available to all players who have spent at least $5 on the game in some form - this includes free-tiered players who spend on microtransactions and former DCUO players who have previously paid for subscriptions.  The Premium tier will grant a higher threshold on character slots, inventory slots, and gold.

Lastly, the Legendary tier is available to those who wish to continue their $14.99/month subscription with the DCUO.  The Legendary tier will give the player free access to all DLC and will have increased slots in every category.  Current subscribers will automatically be given Legendary access, but will have the option to drop to premium, if desired.  Previous lifetime subscribers will, of course, have lifetime Legendary access.

This is all well and good, of course, but one has to ask -- why the change? Well, SOE wouldn't divulge the exact number of current subscribers, but SOE President John Smedley said subscriptions have increased since they've combined servers a few months back, and that the change is business model was not in response to subscriber numbers:

"In terms of 'Is it a result in a drop in subs' – absolutely not. This is the right business model. If I can be honest, the game ended up costing a lot more than we thought it would, and this was our preferred business model from day one."

Well, I don't know about you -- but with the rejuvenation that the New 52 is bringing the DC Universe, I'm ready to dive headfirst into my own little adventure in the DCU. Look out, Metropolis: Fat Lightning is a-comin'!

NYCC 2010: Interview with Chris Cao, Game Director of ‘DC Universe Online.’

In the Sony Online Entertainment press room, we at OTF had a chance to sit down and discuss the minutiae of the game’s focus and development with Chris Cao, game director of the upcoming superhero MMO DC Universe Online.

In the second of two interviews conducted at a roundtable, Mr. Cao was kind enough to discuss the MMO’s “inspired by” system, the development challenges in defining  the game world, and what exactly is being done to make the player the star of the game in a world where Superman flies the skies.  We also talk about the dreaded subscription fee ($14.99/mo) and why that subscription fee may be “the cheapest thing you’ve ever spent on video games.”

Read on for the interview and the character creation trailer released at NYCC!

DC Universe Online is slated for release on the PC and the PlayStation 3 early next year.

---

At the panel, you were going over the create-a-character – that you could align yourself with certain characters or motifs. How many characters are we looking at that you have the opportunity to align yourself with?

Chris Cao: There are sort of two different parts to this. One is choosing your mentor, which is really a choice of what kind of hero or villain you are. We have the game is split into three buckets: tech, meta, and magic. Guys who depend on their own skills are tech-based; guys who have inherent powers, like Superman, are meta-based; and those who use magic are magic – it’s kind of surprising [laughs.]

DC Universe Online’s Character Create Trailer

Those mentors actually [determine] your choice of content through the game and ultimately what kind of battle suit you get. If you want the Batsuit, you need to have Batman as your mentor because he’s not just going to hand it out to anybody, right? If you want the strength of Hera, which is Wonder Woman’s suit, you need to actually be working for her. That’s the first choice in character create.

Read more about game development, the challenges in making an MMO with a license, and betraying your mentor after the jump!

Click to read more ...

NYCC 2010: 'DC Universe Online' Interview with Jim Lee

(c) 2009. Gage Skidmore.Jim Lee, highly venerated artist of Batman: Hush, All Star Batman and Robin, and many other DC, Marvel, and Image properties, was also at the Javits Center for New York Comic Con this past weekend, and he was kind enough to speak with a handful of journalists to discuss the recently-delayed DC Universe Online.

Mr. Lee, Executive Creative Director for the upcoming MMORPG, fielded questions about character creation, art direction, Shotgun Elvis, and more.  Each reporter at the roundtable was given a chance to ask a question, and, while not everyone followed that rule, we had a great discussion about the nature of the game and where it's going, even though most of us were trying to stifle our fanboyism.

Open the Fridge would like to thank Mr. Lee and the people at Sony Online Entertainment for letting us have a chance to sit down, talk with them and, of course, drink the free beer that came with it!

Check out the sizzle trailer here that was discussed shown at the DCUO panel at NYCC and then read on for the interview!

---

What made you want to go from the written word in the comic to actually spearheading something like an MMO?

Jim Lee: I got into comics because I loved comics as a kid; I was very passionate about it. Same thing with games. I always played video games - Pong, at the beginning, Space Invaders - but the one that really got me hooked was Everquest. I just found something in an MMO that was very different then in a "normal" video game experience:  that's community and playing against other people and having that kind of challenge of outwitting, outplaying other real people.  So when this opportunity came up at DC, when I heard they were interested in making an MMO, I said "Well, I have to be involved. This is something that I love playing, and I feel like I can contribute something meaningful." So I guess they wisely let me come in. I think they needed someone to oversee the creative direction of the game, and obviously I knew something about DC Comics so that helped out. So here we are.

Hit the jump for the full interview!

Click to read more ...

DC Universe Online Delayed Until 2011 [EDIT: Video Added]

Sony Online Entertainment announced that DC Universe Online, its upcoming superhero MMO, will be delayed from its originally announced November 2nd release date to a vague "early 2011."

In a press release, SOE president John Smedley stated:

SOE is dedicated to delivering the highest quality game experiences possible.  DC Universe Online is the first game of its kind, and a truly massive undertaking - the first action MMO set in the DC Universe, the first MMO on the PlayStation^®3, and the first time the entire DC Universe will be accessible to the millions of fans who are eagerly anticipating its release. As the game heads into external beta testing, this extra time will allow us to address community feedback in a meaningful way. When we get deeper into external beta, we'll be able to share more information regarding the new launch date.

For those hellbent on running alongside the Flash through Central City before year's end: not all is lost! Players with VIP Key Cards and those who have registered on the DCUO website will have priority access to the beta as early as next week.  Additionally, anyone who preorders the MMO before November 15 will have access to the "Battle of the Legends" beta ending event with the other beta participants.  Anyone that participates at any point in the beta will receive a special emblem for their character when the game is finally released next year.

EDIT: DCUO beta combat video added. Let it ease the sharp pain caused by the news of the delay.