A few years ago, it was practically unheard of. Premium MMORPG titles with years of development and millions of dollars of investment, transferring to a free to play model. However, times are changing and for the free to play market, they’re changing rapidly. A large number of popular pay to play MMORPG games have taken the steps towards free to play, and the majority, have been successful in doing so.

The latest MMORPG to jump on the free to play band wagon is Aion. Gameforge, who recently acquired the publishing rights for Aion, have released the free to play model alongside the highly anticipated Ascension update. The update includes an increase in level cap, a new housing system and dozens of new mounts, zones and instances. Free to play players will face certain restrictions as Aion still includes a three tier membership system, with each tier costing more per month but also offering more content. The Gold Pack, the highest level of subscriber, will cost £9.99 per month.