Rift
Genre: Themepark MMORPG | Release date: March 1, 2011 | Initial payment model: Buy-to-play with subscription | Change to free-to-play occurred on: June 12, 2013 | Website: Rift on Steam
What payment model did the game start with? Rift launched on March 1, 2011 with a buy-to-play model including subscription. However, it was already apparent at that time that free-to-play was on the rise. Nevertheless, Rift enjoyed some success at launch.
Why was the change to free-to-play made? Trion Worlds recognized that free-to-play was gradually booming. There were numerous requests from the community for a “free” version of Rift.
Therefore, the team spent a long time considering how best to implement this change. It finally happened on June 12, 2013.
What happened to the MMORPG after the change? Rift still exists. However, it is evident with Rift that while free-to-play initially brought a surge of new players, they quickly dropped off.
The player numbers of the online role-playing game are therefore no longer as high as at launch and during the transition to the free-to-play model (via Steamcharts).
In recent years, the climate for Rift has changed: While the MMORPG was initially praised for an exemplary and fair free-to-play model, some now see it differently. Fans accused the developers back in 2016 of tightening the reins and making life difficult for free-to-play players. They seemed to be compensating for the declining player numbers by squeezing more money out of the remaining ones. This led to some conflicts.
After the closure of the original studio, Trion Worlds, it seems that Rift no longer plays a significant role in the plans of the new operator Gamigo. Players even fear that the company may kill their favorite MMORPG Rift.
In 2018, they even tried to turn back the clock and introduce a premium server: You needed a subscription to play Rift there.
