Age of Empires Online goes Free-To-Play; more details released

Gamasutra has some new information on Age Of Empires Online on how it's moved to a free-to-play model, how it will generate revenue from microtransactions, and it's move to persistent worlds.

I'll be honest; Age of Empires was a fun game for me when I was growing up.  I'm hoping they include some deep gameplay with this.  I've played other "free-to-play" MMORTS (cough: Lord of Ultima) and I didn't find the gameplay very deep and long term, the game seemed to just be a chore to manage my cities on a daily basis.

Users that purchase a Premium Civilization will also have access to exclusive "rare" and "epic" loot tiers—non-paying users will only have access to the less powerful common and uncommon items.

The game will also offer a la carte microtransaction packs, called "boosters," that offer new quests or gameplay types, as well as packs of vanity items that allow players to customize the appearance of their civilization. Prices for the game's microtransactions, as well as its premium upgrade, have yet to be announced.

"We don't want to nickel and dime you; we're trying to build a community," said Microsoft Games Studios' Ian Vogel in regards to the game's business model. "We're not just trying to sell you a product. We want to have something that's living and growing moving forward."

You can read the full article HERE.