Tera's free-to-play relaunch as Tera: Rising will come on February 5, publisher En Masse Entertainment confirmed this morning. The PC MMORPG will be free for everyone to download and play, supported by optional subscriptions and microtransactions for players who want to pay for extras.
As will happen with almost any subscription-based MMO that's not World of Warcraft or EVE Online, Bluehole Studio's Tera is switching to a free-to-play model, barely 10 months after launch. Come February, anyone who fancies will be able to download and play the fantasy MMORPG for free, though optional subscriptions will live on in a $15 monthly 'Elite' membership.
As is the case with many subscription-based MMOs nowadays, Tera seems to be in a spot of trouble. Only a few weeks after layoffs at developer Bluehole's publishing subsidiary En Masse Entertainment comes word that it's merging the fantasy MMORPG's 11 North American servers into a mere 3 only four months after launch, to get rid of that unpleasant empty feeling.
Read more: Complaints of long dungeon wait times and lack of groups »
En Masse has finally settled its lawsuit with NCSoft over whether developer Bluehole Studios had used proprietary material from Lineage 3 in developing its MMO Tera. No details were available, other than En Masse maintains its innocence, but the info comes on the heels of En Masse laying off an undisclosed number of employees.
En Masse Entertainment, publisher of the action-combat-oriented MMO Tera, has laid off an unspecified number of employees to "prepare for the next chapter of our business." The publisher has promised continued support for the MMO despite the job cuts.
A free update is set to hit Tera next month, which will tweak some classes and add a variety of new content. En Masse is calling this update its biggest yet, with buffs to Warriors and Lancers, PVP, and more.
Tera has joined the ranks of MMOs offering cool mounts to its players for a fee. It's first offering is a horse designed to strike fear into the hearts of the game's signature BAMs (Big-Ass Monsters). Just fork over $24.99 for the Night Mare.
MMORPG fans, are you looking for a new game to provide you with the goals, structures and satisfaction you cannot find in your daily life? You can now give Tera a go for free, thanks to a new seven-day trial, and see if it fills that gaping void.
It seems now that every new MMORPG claims to be more action-oriented. Apparently, sometime between the MMO heyday and now, audiences have decided they want more Ninja Gaiden in their loot-gathering, and each new entry in the genre promises to be the one to deliver. TERA is the latest to take on the challenge, billing itself as a "true action" MMO. In a hands-on demo at PAX East 2012, I was surprised to find that boast mostly accurate.
Certain corners of the globe are maligned in MMORPGs as havens for hackers, phishers, gold farmers and other unsavoury elements, and En Masse Entertainment not only agrees, it's taking action. The North American publisher of Tera plans to outright block great swathes of the world by IP, not letting them play with more reputable countries.
Read more: Asia, Africa, Russia and the Middle East blocked »
The upcoming "action MMO title" The Exiled Realm of Arborea (commonly referred to as TERA) has finally been given a release date. The Bluehole Studio-developed title will launch in North America on May 1, 2012, courtesy of publisher En Masse Entertainment.
TERA's European launch will follow on May 3 from publisher Frogster Interactive Pictures. The game will be available in standard and collector's edition flavors at retail and online.
Publisher En Masse Entertainment announced today that the action MMO Tera is scheduled for release in spring 2012. Though the game was tentatively slated for the tail end of this year, the push back to next year seems to be to give time for an extra layer of polish.
"Adding time to our schedule will help us ensure we exceed people's expectations for Tera," said publishing VP Chris Lee in a press release. "The game's action combat and depth has generated a lot of interest, and we are committed to making sure every aspect of the game lives up to our standard of quality."
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