The new Ascension expansion for CCP’s MMO EVE Online goes live today and with it comes an all new business model. The game is now adopting a hybrid free to play model that will have options for both free to play and subscription players.
The new free to play model is fairly restrictive for F2P players and will limit the skills and ships they can learn and use. Free players will be able to train and use skills from a specific list which focus on Frigates, Destroyers, and Cruisers along with basic Industry ships
The model offers many incentives to stay or become a subscription user including the ability to train and use all skills, ships and modules. Similar to other MMO hybrid models, the idea is to make free players content for the subscription based players, it will be interesting to see if this takes off with the game having a fairly steep learning curve.
Alongside the new business model, Ascension brings a host of changes and updates which should satisfy long time players of the sci-fi MMO. Not only is there new content including, locations, ships, drones, quests, NPC’s and mining missions but the game has also had a graphical improvement.
