Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue

X
News

Free Realms Migrating To PSN

by Matt Miller on Mar 11, 2011 at 08:03 AM

The family-friendly MMO will be the first free-to-play MMO on consoles when it hits PS3 in just a few weeks.

Free Realms is expected to arrive for PS3 in North America on March 29th. The game has been hugely successful up until now on PC and Mac, but Sony Online Entertainment is breaching new ground with plans to move onto a console.

The initial press release promises the same activities and minigames found in the original PC game, but SOE has overhauled the UI to make it work better on consoles.

For those not in the know, Free Realms offers a kid-oriented take on the MMO experience. Players can live out battle fantasies as wizards or ninjas, but the game also includes a wealth of other activities, like making meals, decorating your house, or building mazes. Like the PC version, the entry level gameplay of Free Realms is available for free, but players can pay to become members and continue to develop their characters with new quests and level-up options.

While Free Realms may not be the cup of tea for an experienced gamer, it's interesting to note Sony's exploration of the free-to-play model on PS3. It could bode a similar approach in more adult-targeted games in the near future.