14 DAY TRIAL // Sony must be quite pleased with its newest MMO, Free Realms. The game was only launched on the PC in April of this year and John Smedley, who is the president of Sony Online Entertainment, has announced that there are already five million players who are engaged with the free-to-play, micro-transaction-based video game. The number was reached at some point in August, but it has only been made public at the Austin Game Developer's Conference.
The game seemed quite successful since its release, with one million users interested in it in the first 18 days. Reasons for the performance are the cartoon-like graphics, which appeal to a wide array of possible players, the low system requirements and the variety of content offered. Players are able to pick out from a variety of classes and can even choose to enjoy the entire experience without engaging in any violent act. Sony also heavily regulates the interactions between players, making sure that the atmosphere is non-confrontational and adequate for minors.
Smedley has also revealed that Sony has plans to bring Free Realms to the PlayStation 3 home console at some point in 2010. He actually said, “It's next year sometime, toward the middle of the year. For the PlayStation 3 version, it's very likely that the Eye is going to be something we support.” It's not clear whether Sony plans to introduce cross play between the PC and the PS3 version of the MMO.
Free Realms is interesting because it's the first big-brand MMO that does not require a subscription to play. It is seen by some as a sign of times to come in the genre. Recently, there were rumors that a new, Sony-made Star Wars MMO would be free to play and BioWare and LucasArts are also thought to consider various options for The Old Republic MMO.