New content, new rides

Apr 12, 2010 08:16 GMT  ·  By

Sony Online Entertainment is announcing that its free-to-play MMO, Free Realms, now has more than 10 million players registered and that it plans to launch an entire month of celebrations related to its first birthday on April 28, complete with new content designed to keep players interested on the long term.

Sony promises live community-oriented events that will draw players in, two new minigames based around player versus players combat, fresh clothes and hats celebrating the one-year anniversary that can be worn by any Free Realms avatar. There are 15 quests based around the birthday that will be introduced, all concerned with Cakenstein, a villain that aims to ruin the fun in Free Realms. Of course, he can only be stopped through fights featuring copious amounts of cake.

Free Realms is a tiered game, with players who choose to pay a subscription every month getting more goodies from Sony. They can look forward to getting access to new rides like a Unicorn and a Battle, alongside new pets that they can use.

John Smedley, the president of Sony Online Entertainment, stated, “Reaching 10 million registered players on the eve of Free Realms’ first birthday is an incredibly exciting event for SOE and our passionate online community. Millions of gamers have confirmed that the genre we pioneered over 11 years ago with the original EverQuest continues to evolve and expand to include new styles of gameplay that reach a wider audience than ever before.”

Free Realms is aimed squarely at families, with the emphasis on offering a safe and engaging online environment for kids with no initial costs attached. Sony is basing its business model around creating a sprawling online environment and betting that at least a segment of the population is interested in paying to get access to more content and activities.