Ghost Recon Online To Take Series Free-To-Play

Ubisoft today announced Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online, a new free-to-play entry in the popular military action series being developed at the company's Singapore studio. The title, which is accepting applications for a planned closed beta launch this summer, will offer three character classes and team-based online military battles. Ubisoft will make money on the game through sales of premium items, and the company is pledging continuous support with regular content updates, special in-game events and "customized content based on community feedback." "This game was designed from the start to be a free-to-play experience," said Ubisoft senior producer Hugues Ricour, in a statement. "Our development teams are dedicated to making Ghost Recon Online a truly unique, top-quality online title." While Ghost Recon Online is Ubisoft's first free-to-play shooter, the company has experimented with the business model in MMO titles such as Shadowbane and Petz World. EA's free-to-play shooter Battlefield Heroes attracted 7 million players through March after a mid-2009 release. This year's free-to-play follow-up, Battefield Play4Free drew 600,000 open beta signups as of March. "The online market is an exciting new frontier for video games and for gamers,” said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, in a statement. "With Ghost Recon Online, and other major upcoming projects, Ubisoft is creating online experiences that allow our fans to stay connected to their favorite brands and to continually receive new content and gameplay. This direct link with our fans will allow us to create new and ever better experiences for them."