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Global Agenda Now Free To Play
Hi-Rez Studios has flipped the switch. Its massively multiplayer sci-fi FPS Global Agenda is now free to play and download, with additional products and services available for purchase. You can get all the way to the level cap of 50 (albeit at half speed) without spending a dime if you so choose.
I salute the change. Global Agenda always struck me as a game that would do much better in a free-to-play model. Without a big persistent public world to fight over (the gameplay in Global Agenda takes place in instanced matches, the results of which contribute to a global metagame), I have a hard time seeing the value in paying a subscription fee to play a shooter -- I've got plenty of great options for multiplayer FPS that don't cost me a monthly fee to play. That said, Global Agenda is a reasonably solid game, and I certainly see the appeal in having a stronger metagame than Call of Duty-like progression or what have you.
The first, obvious thing to purchase is the Elite Agent upgrade. This one-time $20 purchase unlocks everything from auction houses to mailboxes and clan creation -- and doubles the rate of your XP and loot accumulation. You're really playing a gimped version of the game until you upgrade, though the gameplay itself is unchanged and all of your progression as a free player will naturally transfer over should you ever make the jump.
Anyone who had previously bought a copy of Global Agenda, whether their subscription is active or lapsed, is automatically upgraded to Elite status.
You can also pay real money for boosters. These are available to both free and Elite players, and do what you'd expect: boost your XP/credit/loot drops.
Hi-Rez plans to offer both cosmetic and gameplay-affecting items for cash purchase in the future, according to the official free-to-play FAQ.
Anyone plan on giving this a shot now that it's free?
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