The business of MMORPG’s is a tough one. Anyone except Blizzard can expect hardships as they try to build a niche in the market, and most attempts end up failing. The Secret World, Funcom’s modern day MMO, has been fighting for subscribers for almost a month now, and a celebration scheduled for next week. From Friday, August 3rd at 4pm GMT until Monday, August 6th at 7am GMT, Funcom has announced that the game will be free to play.
This will coincide with a few special in-game items, including fireworks and unique armor, but the important thing to note is the free weekend. The concept is nothing new, but in recent years it’s been a harbinger of bad things to come. The Secret World already has an in-game store where you can purchase items with real money, so a future transition to a free-to-play model isn’t out of the question. But, the game’s future is still unknown, and we can only hope they continue to succeed.
What’s your opinion of the current state of MMO’s? Let us know in the comments below or over in the Stick Skills forums.