Trion Worlds makes End Of Nations free to play

Online game developer Trion Worlds will release its RTS title, End Of Nations, as a free to play game.

"For a premium strategy game like End of Nations, we really wanted to bring as many players as possible into its massive-scale strategic warfare," read the official site.

"And the more we looked at the enormous battles and huge persistent world, we realized that the success of End of Nations would be driven by having thousands of players from around the globe battling daily in the world’s biggest strategy game."

Players can access the entire game for free, but there will be an in game store offering items for sale, and an optional subscription that will give paying players "get a significant amount of value and convenience extras for their monthly fee," according to the game's official site. It's keen to reassure gamers that "optional subscription is all about value, but not about gameplay advantage."

There will also be a boxed collector's edition available at retail.

“Being able to offer a premium game such as End of Nations for free sets us apart in this industry,” said Dave Luehmann, VP of third party development.

“At Trion, we strive to innovate online gaming while emphasizing the delivery of the best core gameplay experience available. Our decision to release End of Nations as a AAA free–to-play title is guided by these principles.”

Trion Worlds publishes and develops online games. In June the Californian company hired John Burns, ex senior director of online publishing at Electronic Arts, as GM of Europe.