Well, that happens a lot these days. I just hope that they'll use that another month more productively than just to make sure that Turbine Store is working under massive stress.
I can really say new DDO is probably going to be firm precursor for new F2P/sub hybrids. The game is now better than ever, and it's hard to imagine any other MMO working better with micro-transactions and free to play model that DDO. That's no bull, this game looks now like it was made for such model from the start.
And yes, I've asked many players in game on General Chat - the response is really so good as they say. I remember one very interesting example, when guy said that DDO is good enough for him to cancel LotrO subscription that he used since LotrO's beta. Now that's impressive.
Here's a screenie:
http://www.mmorpg.com/photo/0db9fd1a-f103-4f8f-b72c-604d34b2eac4
DDO Unlimited Launch Pushed Back to Sept. 9
Turbine announced today that they are pushing back the launch of Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited to Sept. 9. The upgrade, which will make DDO free-to-play, was originally scheduled to go live on Aug. 4 for VIP members and Aug. 6 for everyone else.
According to Executive Producer Fernando Paiz, the delay is all about creating a better experience for the players. He said there's been a "tremendous response" to DDO Unlimited from players in the beta program, and Turbine is "committed to delivering a high-quality experience." Therefore, the company is pushing back the launch to support the large increase of players that are expected to join the game once it's free to play.
You can read the full announcement after the jump. While it's always disappointing when a game's launch is delayed, we understand that quality comes first. What do you think? Are you planning to jump into DDO Unlimited?
Turbine, Inc. announced today Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Eberron Unlimited™ (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach™ will now launch on September 9, 2009 in North America.
“We’ve had a tremendous response to DDO Unlimited from the players and press who are participating in our beta program,” said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of DDO Unlimited. “We’ve been holding a series of live events as part of the beta program and have seen an unprecedented level of participation from players. While we are very pleased with the performance of the game and are excited about the response from the players, we are committed to delivering a high-quality experience. We feel that more time is needed to deliver on this commitment. As a result, we are delaying our launch to ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are expecting and deliver them a free to play experience like none other.”
DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap, introduce a new player class and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for everyone. The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found only in premium subscription-based MMOs. DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Turbine will provide DDO VIPs early access to the game to beginning September 1, 2009 and will provide free, unlimited access to everyone on September 9, 2009.
DDO Unlimited is based on the world-renowned DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® franchise of Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc.® (NYSE: HAS), under license to Infogrames Entertainment S.A.® Published by Atari, Inc.®, DDO has been enthusiastically received by many gaming critics, including The New York Times, PC Gamer, Game Informer and many more. For the latest information, please visit www.ddo.com.
Tags: Dungeons_AND_DragonsOnline, News