NCSoft, the world’s premier publisher and developer of massively multiplayer online games, today celebrated the launch of Lineage II Goddess of Destruction; a complete overhaul of the franchise featuring the largest content patch to-date for free. Along with today’s launch, NCSoft also announced their “Truly Free™” business model. From what I have seen of the launch, the “Truly Free™” service is just another way to say “Free To Play.” That’s not to say that Free To Play is a bad thing, not by any stretch, but it does seem as though they are trying to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack for some particular reason. With the slew of FTP games that are on the market, this might be the
thing that helps them step ahead of the pack. As part of the Truly Free business model you get access to the title complete with no account restrictions – no zone, level (1-99) or player interaction restrictions. In addition to the new business model, those of us showing up a bit late to the game get a nice helping hand from NCSoft as well. They have created an interactive web guide called “The Path to Awakening™” that will provide much appreciated insight and advice for those of us taking a first look at this title. It is also setup to provide in-game advice and level-specific rewards to help players immerse themselves in the game. Pretty kick ass if you ask me. As you would expect with any FTP, or should I say “Truly Free™”, title they have added in some goodies for those players looking to accelerate their experience even further. New Lineage II Exploration Packs, starting
at $5 (available in the new L2 Galleria™ and the in-game L2 Store™), offer players “a convenient way to enjoy the game on their own terms.”
Bottom line here is a AAA Studio had decided to give away the farm. They are letting us play a tried and tested title, filled with a ton of new content, and giving it to us for the price of “on the house“. Sign me up!
