14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Online Entertainment has announced that Free Realms, its free-to-play MMO, is now slated for release on the PlayStation 3 home-gaming console on March 29 for the North American market, after being out on the PC and the Mac for close to two full years.
Sony says that there are about 17 million players that are engaged with the game at the moment and the number is expected to increase pretty quickly after the North American launch on the PS3.
It's not clear if cross platform play will be supported for Free Realms.
John Smedley, who is the president of Sony Online Entertainment, has stated, “Free Realms continues to break new ground in the gaming industry– it will be the first free-to-play MMO to hit any console, the first family-friendly MMO to hit any console, and the second MMO, after our recent release of DC Universe™ Online, to hit the PlayStation3 to date.”
He added, “As the only online games publisher that creates accessible and diverse gameplay experiences for the full spectrum of gamers, we are committed to burgeoning innovation and growing the MMO genre by leaps and bounds, bringing in players of all ages.”
Free Realms is entirely free to play and allows gamers access to a number of mini games, adventures and social features, with the possibility for those who are interested to play a monthly subscription in order to get access to more content.
The game is aimed specifically at younger players, with a host of features specifically designed to allow them to be social and have fun while being completely safe from content not suited for their age.
DC Universe Online, a subscription-based MMO aimed at a more mature audience, has done well on the PlayStation 3 since launch, selling better than the PC version, and Sony Online Entertainment says that the game will be getting more updates in the near future.