14 DAY TRIAL // Developer S2 Games has announced that it is starting to transition its multiplayer-oriented mix between action and role-playing game Heroes of Newerth towards the free to play business model, becoming the latest developer to abandon subscriptions and offer most of their game without requiring the players to pay.
The free accounts that are introduced will have access, like the paid-for ones, to a rotating cast of 15 heroes to play with and access to other characters can be obtained via payment.
Free players will also have limited matchmaking options.
The gamers who are now engaged with Heroes of Newerth and are paying for it will get a new legacy account, which will allow them to access all the heroes the game has to offer.
They will also get access to newly introduced heroes for free after a waiting period, although they also have the option to pay in order to get immediate access.
S2 Games says that there are more than 500,000 players who will get legacy accounts.
Marc DeForest, who is the chief executive officer of S2 Games, has stated, “We have gone to great lengths to ensure that the superior experience HoN delivers will remain untouched for our loyal fan base during and after the free to play transition.”
S2 says that at the moment 40 percent of all players who have accounts for Heroes of Newerth are logging in and playing every day, with about 30,000 of them online at any given time.
Making Heroes of Newerth free to play means that the population will likely increase rapidly, allowing veteran players more choices for their games and convincing a number of newcomers to pay to get better matchmaking and more hero options.
Games like The Lord of the Rings Online and Champions Online have reported increases in overall revenue after going free to play.