Global Agenda Guns Down Pay Model, No More Subscription Fees

Global Agenda, one of the few MMOFPS games on the market, started out with a fairly good business model. They offered a free mode for people who just wanted some casual action and for those that wanted to be a bit more competitive a pay model with some extra content, but as of Friday things have changed.

Now if you purchase the game (which as of this post is on sale on Steam) you will get access to everything without ever having to pay a subscription fee. Any future content though will be added through expansion packs as opposed to free patch upgrades.

I’m not sure if the game isn’t doing well or is just trying to pull in a few more users. I played the free trial from Steam that allows you to level to 15, and play a bit of PvP and PvE, and thought the game was good but not worth the subscription. So perhaps the developers realized the same thing. I wonder if the customers that had been paying get anything nice for the money they spent?

The full press release can be found below.

Single-Game Purchase Grants Access To All Current Content And Features Within Award-winning Shooter MMO

ATLANTA – June 25, 2010 – Hi-Rez Studios announced today that Global Agenda is now 100% subscription free.

Purchasers of Global Agenda can enjoy the game’s full current content, including all current Player-vs-Player combat, Player-vs-Environment solo and co-op content, and Agency-vs- Agency seasons, without a monthly subscription payment now or in the future.

Future content updates will be delivered via optional paid expansions. The first major expansion, Sandstorm, will be included for free to the entire Global Agenda community.

To celebrate this change, the game is being offered for 33% off on Steam from now through July 5, as part of Steam’s Summer Sale. To purchase, visit the Global Agenda Steam Page.

“Hi-Rez Studios is committed to delivering the best value in PC gaming”, said Todd Harris, Global Agenda Executive Producer. “In addition to including all of the game’s initial launch content for free inside the single-purchase price, we are bundling nearly 6 months worth of post-release content and features and including that within the single-purchase game. One purchase of Global Agenda lets you experience all of this content forever with no subscription.”

Global Agenda allows players to create and customize multiple agent characters, complementing FPS skills with accessible RPG-style progression. Players can co-op with friends online, compete in fast-paced multiplayer matches, and conquer persistent territory with player-formed groups called agencies. The large summer expansion, titled Sandstorm, adds weapon variation and loot, new epic weapons across every class and a brand new Open Zone area complete with quests and new missions. The first phase of Sandstorm was released in early June 2010, with the remaining phase to be released later this summer.

Try For Free – Players can download Global Agenda and play until level 15 with no payment or credit card required.

Buy Once – A single purchase enables you to play forever. Progress thru 50 character levels, access hundreds of weapons, and experience all current content and gametypes on our worldwide, hosted servers with no subscription required.

Play What Suits You – Global Agenda offers a wide range of content including solo and co-op PvE, Mercenary PvP, Agency-vs-Agency, Arena PvP and more.

For more information, a FAQ has been prepared to answer the commonly asked questions regarding this change.