Turbine announced this morning that Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited (DDO Unlimited) will go live on September 9 rather than the previously announced August 6 date. When launched, the free digital upgrade will raise the MMORPG's level cap, add a new player class, and add new major content. However, the upgrade also unlocks the game to everyone, now making it a free-to-play MMORPG.
"We've had a tremendous response to DDO Unlimited from the players and press who are participating in our beta program," said Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer of DDO Unlimited. "We’ve been holding a series of live events as part of the beta program and have seen an unprecedented level of participation from players."
Indeed, the game is already live to closed beta participants and those of us in the press, and so far, DDO Unlimited is quite impressive. According to Turbine, the game will still offer a subscription plan for players who want everything the game provides. However, conservative fans will be able to play for free while purchasing extra content such as adventure packs, items, and account services through the embedded DDO Store.
Unfortunately, fans anticipating the upgrade in the next few weeks will have to wait another month. "While we are very pleased with the performance of the game and are excited about the response from the players, we are committed to delivering a high-quality experience," Turbine added. "We feel that more time is needed to deliver on this commitment. As a result, we are delaying our launch to ensure that we can support the massive increase in players that we are expecting and deliver them a free to play experience like none other."
Turbine will provide DDO VIPs (current subscribers) early access to the game beginning September 1, 2009 and will provide free, unlimited access to everyone on September 9, 2009.
