Star Trek Online
Genre: Themepark MMORPG | Release date: February 5, 2010 | Initial payment model: Buy-to-play with subscription | Change to free-to-play occurred on: January 17, 2012 | Website: Star Trek Online on Steam
What payment model did the game start with? Star Trek Online launched in Europe on February 5, 2010 with a buy-to-play model including subscription. At that time, however, this change in the community of MMORPG fans was already taking place and free-to-play was becoming increasingly popular.
Why was the change to free-to-play made? Cryptic Studios quickly recognized that free-to-play was on the rise. Already in December 2010, the then managing director Jack Emmert stated that there were considerations within the team to change Star Trek Online to a free-to-play model. The demand for such a model was simply very high.
However, it would still take until January 2012 for this change to be officially implemented.
What happened to the MMORPG after the change? Cryptic Studios reacted quickly to the changing MMORPG landscape and the free-to-play transition was well received. The online game is still active today, 11 years after release, and even has a stable player base that hardly changes. Regular content keeps fans engaged.
Similar to The Lord of the Rings Online, it is probably thanks to the free-to-play model that Star Trek Online has had such a long lifespan as an MMORPG.
9 years after release: This is how Star Trek Online wants to keep its players
