City of Heroes going FREE TO PLAY

http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/index.php

City of Heroes Freedom™, launching later this year, will be the new name for the award-winning super-powered massively multiplayer online game, City of Heroes®. City of Heroes Freedom redefines City of Heroes based on the cornerstones of content, rewards, and choice. With City of Heroes Freedom, you will get the freedom to play and pay as you choose. Join the future of City of Heroes in City of Heroes Freedom. Freedom is the future!

Current City of Heroes subscribers will become VIP subscribers come the switch, but will begin accruing ‘paragon points’ from July 1st, which will be spendable in the in game store when it launches. VIP players will also get a new monthly version of the current veteran rewards system and their own server.

There will be some restrictions placed on free players though, with only two player slots and eight archetypes available. For example, while the mission architect system will be completely unlocked for VIPs, free players will have to unlock it (somehow, NCsoft declined to specify) in order to fully access it. Here’s a full description of how the features break down.

Play for Free:

Play as a Hero or Villain for up to Level 50.
Play up to two characters (total).
Select from 8 character archetypes and over 100 power sets.
Play in 45 different game zones.

VIP Players:

Existing City of Heroes subscribers retain all benefits, including 12 character slots per server.
Receive 400 Paragon Points a month to use in the Paragon Market.
Experience VIP content, including the City of Heroes Going Rogue™ expansion.
Play on a VIP-only server.
Enjoy one free character transfer per month, priority queuing, and VIP customer support.

Returning City of Heroes Players:

Get everything that play-for-free players get.
Retain everything you already purchased or unlocked, including character slots, super boosters, expansions, Veteran Rewards, and Epic archetypes.