SOE Starts New All Access Program, Planetside 1 Goes F2P

Sony Online Entertainment has revealed a new SOE All Access program, that will be applicable to their games come April. As part of this change, the original Planetside is finally going free-to-play.

First, regarding the new program. Come April 2, SOE All Access will drop in price from $ 19.99 to $ 14.99, and all existing members will be automatically upgraded to the program. Titles included in All Access are DC Universe Online, Planetside 2, Everquest, EverQuest 2, Vanguard Saga of Heroes, and will later include Dragon’s Prophet, Everquest Next and Everquest Next Landmark.

As you may know, Vanguard Saga of Heroes will be retired later this year, so this one is actually a special case. Players in this game will also get upgraded to All Access, and so they can pay the lower monthly fee until the game is retired July 31. After that, however, those players may want to stay, since All Access also gives them membership for the other games in the program, including ancillary benefits.

If you happen to be playing Wizardry Online, that’s another special case. Unlike Vanguard, it does not have an active marketplace. The game will also be upgraded to the new All Access program, but to avail of it, Wizardry players will have to make an account for one of the other games in the program. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same situation as Vanguard.

Regarding Planetside 1 going free to play, this is an amazing move considering they do not have an active Marketplace at this time. Essentially, the game is completely free! However, this does not preclude the possibility Sony will introduce microtransactions into the game at a later date, one way or another.

One last thing: If you play DC Universe Online on console, unfortunately, you don’t get in on the program. We can’t possibly cover everything in the FAQ, so if you need even more details, refer to the FAQ link above.

Image is from Planetside.