D&D Online relaunch a success
Free-to-play model making money.
Turbine spokesman Adam Mersky has indicated that the early-access launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited has been a rip-roaring success.
The US-only, free-to-play makeover for the MMO turns regular subscribers into VIP members and gives access to all game content as well as a monthly Turbine Point allowance. But, said Mersky, that's not been enough.
"They all got a ton of points for being loyal subscribers, for being in the beta. We weren't really expecting a ton of sales - they had no incentive to. They already had access to all of the content as VIP subscribers, and we just gave them a butt-load of Points," said Mersky, according to Kotaku.
"They've gone through their points, and we've already sold millions more Turbine points, and we've not even opened up the world to the public yet."
"The hottest selling items are the new Favored Soul class, which is unlockable in-game, but all of our subs just went ahead and spent points on it, unlocked it, and they're playing it right now," he added.
Dungeons & Dragons Online Unlimited opens to everybody else (in America) tomorrow. Alongside the switch to a free-to-play model comes Module 9, which raises the level cap, adds two new storylines, overhauls the combat system and introduces the Favored Soul. Module 9 will be released as a regular free update to European subscribers. Look out for a DDO re-review on Eurogamer MMO soon.