Albion Online going Free to Play
According to a recent post on the official website, the game will be available free of charge with no limitations for everyone to enjoy. Veteran players will receive Specter Wolf mount (the Specter Wolf has all the stats of a Direwolf with a unique ghostly appearance, and only accounts that have a Founder or Starter Pack redeemed and active on April 10 at 10:00 UTC will qualify for this). There will also be a ten-day Fame boost starting after maintenance on April 1 and ending with maintenance on April 10 (the Mists of Albion buff will be active, giving a 25% boost to all Fame earned through ingame activities). Also for a limited time all game versions are 33% off on their official website and 34% off on Steam.
Specter Wolf mount
The f2p version will surely boost the game's numbers. According to Steam Charts the game isn't doing great on Steam, with a 24 hr peak of about 488 players, which isn't great for an mmo, but given that the game is also available off Steam, the actual numbers might be somewhat higher.
There's also an FAQ which tries to answer some questions players might have about the f2p transition, which you can read down below:
Free-to-Play FAQ
When will Albion Online go free-to-play?
Albion Online will go free-to-play on April 10, 2019 at 10:00 UTC.
What exactly does this change mean?
Starting at 10:00 UTC on April 10, you will no longer need to buy the game in order to play. After this point, you can simply download the game client from the website, create a free account, and join the action.
Will there be changes to Albion Online’s business model?
Albion Online’s business model has always been based on two pillars: Premium status, which can be bought with either real money or ingame currency, and a vanity-only ingame shop. This business model will not change when the game goes free-to-play. The only difference is that you will no longer need to purchase the game in order to play.
Will there be restrictions for free accounts?
Free accounts will have no gameplay restrictions and can take part in all aspects of the game. Since the business model remains unchanged, Premium status will remain purchasable with either real money or in-game currency for all account types.
Why are you making this change now?
Overall, the game is doing very well. We have a fully staffed development team of 35 people, just released our sixth major post-release update, and have a stable and growing player population.
However, we're also convinced that Albion Online can be taken much further. Our mission is to bring back that old-school, hardcore MMORPG feeling, to as many players as possible.
In today’s world, a 30-dollar paywall – the price of our cheapest game pack – is a massive deterrent for trying out a new game, especially one as unconventional as Albion Online. We believe that by removing the initial paywall we will be able to grow Albion Online as a game and continue to further expand our development team to bring you even more content updates and exciting new features going forward.
Ultimately, we believe this step will help us realize our long-term vision for the game.
If I already have an account, do I need to do anything to prepare?
No - all players with a currently existing account can simply log in as normal on April 10 and thereafter.
What about existing players who already purchased the game? Do they get anything?
Absolutely! After all, without the tremendous support of all our players, Albion Online would not be where it is today.
As a thank-you gift, all accounts that have redeemed a Founder or Starter Pack before April 10, 10:00 UTC will receive the following:
- The Specter Wolf mount – an exclusive ghostly mount that has the same stats as a Direwolf and will not be available at any other point in the future
- 1,000 Gold
- 3 Days of Claimable Premium
What will happen with Starter Packs?
The sale of the current Starter Packs will be discontinued on April 10.
Everyone who redeems a pack until April 10, 10:00 UTC will be eligible for the thank-you gifts listed above. Unredeemed packs can also be redeemed after April 10, and while they will still contain the regular included Gold, Premium, and items, they will not receive the additional gifts above.
Until April 10, all Starter Packs are discounted as follows:
- Veteran Starter Packs now cost USD 19.77 (contains ~USD 20 worth of Gold and Premium)
- Epic Starter Packs now cost USD 32.97 (contains ~USD 50 worth of Gold and Premium)
- Legendary Starter Packs now cost USD 65.97 (contains ~USD 80 worth of Gold and Premium)
Pack Upgrades have also been discounted accordingly.
What does this mean for Trial Keys and Referral Seasons?
Trial Keys will no longer be purchasable beginning with maintenance on March 27. Trial Keys will no longer be redeemable as of maintenance on April 10. Players will receive their Gold and Referral rewards for any Trial Keys redeemed up until that point, and any Trial Keys not yet redeemed will be automatically refunded to the original buyer.
The current Referral Season system, in which referral rewards are based on Trial Keys and Starter Packs, will be replaced by a different system on April 10 to reflect the fact that there will no longer be Trial Keys and Starter Packs. Details of the new Referral Season will be announced at that time. As is currently the case, each successful referral will generate a Gold reward for the original referrer, and rewards and duration of each season will be announced at the beginning of the season.
