PC MMO, Wildstar, will switch to it’s new business model at the end of September, phase two of closed beta begins now.
Wildstar, the fantasy MMO developed by former Blizzard Entertainment developers who are now working at Carbine Studios, will switch to it’s new free-to-play business model on September 29. NCSoft and Carbine Studios announced the release date on Thursday, and also provided confirmation that the second phase of the free-to-play closed Beta had begun (on Thursday), in the lead up to the full release later this month.
The upcoming business model conversion on September 29 also marks WildStar’s biggest game update since the game launched back in June 2014. Through the WildStar Reloaded update, players can expect more in-game content, ‘enhanced game systems’, and plenty of quality of life updates.
NCSoft have said in a statement:
New players will enjoy a greatly streamlined starting experience, while veteran players will be handsomely rewarded for their loyalty, as an added perk, all players with active subscriptions at the time of the free-to-play transition will also receive exclusive items as a bonus.
In terms of the second phase of the WildStar free-to-play closed Beta, NCSoft said this is being done to
ensure that the economic aspects of the free-to-play transition are launch-ready.
By comparison, the first phase focused on the game’s new content and tutorials that will be available on September 29.
NCSoft also stated:
The second phase will also offer invited players a risk-free opportunity to test the new in-game store by buying NCoin–a real money currency that is all new to WildStar, all NCoin purchased during the second phase will be copied to players’ beta characters, allowing them to test the entire purchase process and the purchased NCoin will then be transferred in full to their live characters once the transition officially happens.
All current WildStar subscribers can hop into the free-to-play closed Beta right now. Non-subscribers can get in too, but only if they have been invited or if they have redeemed their own Beta key. You can sign up for a Beta key now through the WildStar website.