DC Universe Online going free to play in October
Online superhero-sim DC Universe Online is going free to play from October, with existing players becoming premium users.
Massively multiplayer online superhero-simulator DC Universe Online is going free to play in October, giving PC and PS3 gamers a chance to don their snappiest cloaks and kick Batman in the shins without paying a single penny.
Anyone who wants to pretend to fight crime on the cheap will be subjected to some serious restrictions, however. You'll get no voice chat, for instance, there's a limit to how much in-game currency you can have, and you won't be able to trade items with other players.
There are now three payment options: Free, Premium and Legendary. To be a premium member you just need to have spent $5 (about £3.20) in the game's online marketplace. Click here to see the new payment structure in detail.
Legendary access is the option that gets you everything, including expansion packs and the ability to form player leagues. It costs £9.99 per month, £27.99 for three months or £49.99 for six months. Those who already subscribe will become Legendary members, while inactive subscriptions will change to Premium accounts.
Clearly the reason behind the move is to coax more people into playing the game. After unenthusiastic critical reaction at launch -- our sister site GameSpot gave it 7/10 -- DC Universe Online hasn't reached anywhere near the level of popularity of World of Warcraft, its main rival on PC, which also has a free to play option. PlayStation gamers were denied access to the game for weeks during the catastrophic PSN outage earlier this year.
Are you into DC Universe Online? Will you give it a go now it's free? Sound off in the comments section below, or on our Facebook page.