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Star Trek Online free-to-play launch date

Subscribers to get monthly pocket money.

Sci-fi MMO Star Trek Online launches as a free-to-play game on 17th January 2012, developer Cryptic Studios has announced.

Players can still choose to subscribe, however. Gold members get a monthly 400 Cryptic Point deposit in their accounts.

Starting 1st December, that currency will arrive each month on the player's "anniversary day" of joining.

Cryptic had previously promised the game would go free-to-play "by the end of this year".

Free members can access all of the game's sectors and missions, plus level up as high as paid players.

But other features such as in-game chat, mail and character slots are limited, while others are restricted entirely.