Rift sees significant rise in player numbers since free-to-play switch

A few months ago Rift joined the ranks of MMOs that switched business model from monthly subscriptions to free-to-play in hope of righting the ship. It seems like it might have done the trick.

"I'm actually very pleased with how the team has executed on it," Trion SVP of marketing Noah Maffitt told [a]list daily. "It was a planned transition that's taken months and months to do. They've thought through all the little details very well.

"We actually saw our sales go up after we announced free-to-play, because we think we have a compelling package around that transition. Our player counts have gone way up, as well. All early signs are good."

It's great news for Trion Worlds, and further throws into question the decisions of upcoming MMOs WildStar and The Elder Scrolls Online to stick with subscription fees. It's a model that is increasingly old fashioned, and has blighted several high profile MMOs in recent years that eventually made the free-to-play switch.

Only time will tell.

Thanks, PCGamesN