The time as come for Wildstar as well to open the gates of the free to play business model, or to be more precise hybrid, as an optional subscription will still be offered.

The announcement might not come as a complete surprise to those who follow Carbine's MMORPG, and luckily the model will not be the oppressive sort. Starting this fall, all users will be able to level to 50, acquire all Amps and abilities, and participate in all dungeons, raids, adventures, shiphands, and PvP. The whole game will be open for free.

Those who will opt for the optional subscription will get convenience bonuses and enhancements to XP, crafting, currency, item drops and reputation. On top of that, they'll receive an additional character, costume, bank, supply, and housing items.

The game will also get the inevitable cash shop, offering convenience or cosmetic items, with the usual promise that the game won't become "pay to win."

"In almost every case, items that are available for purchase via NCoin will have equivalent items available for players that want to invest time rather than money. One thing that will not be available for purchase is power – progression will continue to require both skill and effort."

With the transition to free to play the following changes will be implemented:

• Streamlining player and item stats to be much more intuitive while adding high-level options to give players more flexibility.
• Making the Amp system easier to use by unlocking all Amp slots.
• Reviewing dungeons and open world content so that the experience is challenging, but not brutal.
• Changing the tutorial and early game experience to provide a better and quicker introduction.

Players who supported the game since launch, and those who will keep a subscription going past June 15th, will receive some rewards, detailed here.

Below you can see an announcement trailer.