History Main / Freemium

* ''CityOfHeroes'' introduced this recently. There's 3 tiers: Free, Premium, and VIP. Free is, of course, someone who's ever paid a dime. They don't have access to Chat Channels, the in-game Auction House, Mission Architect, end-game system and even certain Classes, and also don't have Posting access on the forums. They do, however, have access to 99% of the content of the game, levels 1-50, no purchases of any kind required. Premium is anyone who's EVER paid ''anything'' who may or may not have the limits described above (for instance, one can buy access to the Market or Mission Architect, and once one has bought enough stuff, they're automatically granted certain privileges such as Forum posting and the previously-locked Classes), and VIP are monthly subscribers who get everything listed above, plus certain Online-Store items for free, as well as a free stipend of points to use in the Online Store and other perks.

* ''CityOfHeroes'' introduced this recently. There's 3 tiers: Free, Premium, and VIP. Free is, of course, someone who's ever paid a dime. They don't have access to Chat Channels, the in-game Auction House, Mission Architect, end-game system and even certain Classes, and also don't have Posting access on the forums. They do, however, have access to 99% of the content of the game, levels 1-50, no purchases of any kind required. Premium is anyone who's EVER paid ANYthing who may or may not have the limits described above (for instance, one can buy access to the Market or Mission Architect, and once one has bought enough stuff, they're automatically granted certain privileges such as Forum posting and the previously-locked Classes), and VIP are monthly subscribers who get everything listed above, plus certain Online-Store items for free, as well as a free stipend of points to use in the Online Store and other perks.

* DungeonsAndDragonsOnline was one of the first MMOs to essentially combine {{AllegedlyFreeGame}} and {{Freemium}}, into three distinct payment models. The first, which is like many {{AllegedlyFreeGames}} and requires earning or buying points to unlock content - using Microtransactions. In this model, the player technically plays for free, but continuing to play the game this way requires a lot of grinding, and dealing with multiple limitations (which can mostly be bypassed through the store) in order to progress past the first 20-30 levels. The second two are more along the lines of Freemium, with the only exception being that the first requires some form of payment - whether that be purchasing an expansion, subscribing for a month, or even buying points. This mode removes a lot of the more draconian limitations placed on free players, but still requires purchasing quest packs with points. Finally, the old tried-and-true subscription model works exactly how it does in most other MMOs. Namely, unlimited access to content, save for expansions. Subscribers also get a 500 point allowance per month to spend in the store for various convenience items.
* CityOfHeroes introduced this recently. There's 3 tiers: Free, Premium, and VIP. Free is, of course, someone who's ever paid a dime. They don't have access to Chat Channels, the in-game Auction House, Mission Architect, end-game system and even certain Classes, and also don't have Posting access on the forums. They do, however, have access to 99% of the content of the game, levels 1-50, no purchases of any kind required. Premium is anyone who's EVER paid ANYthing who may or may not have the limits described above (for instance, one can buy access to the Market or Mission Architect, and once one has bought enough stuff, they're automatically granted certain privileges such as Forum posting and the previously-locked Classes), and VIP are monthly subscribers who get everything listed above, plus certain Online-Store items for free, as well as a free stipend of points to use in the Online Store and other perks.

* DeviantArt removes ads for paying members. Successful artists may have premium memberships gifted to them- i.e. a fan or friend pays for theirs.

** This seems to be the business model for a number of [[=BigPoint=]] Games MMOs.

* DeviantArt removes ads for paying members.

* DungeonsAndDragonsOnline was one of the first MMOs to essentially combine {{AllegedlyFreeGame}} and {{Freemium}}, into three distinct payment models. The first, which is like many {{AllegedlyFreeGames}} and requires earning or buying points to unlock content - using Microtransactions. In this model, the player technically plays for free, but continuing to play the game this way requires a lot of grinding, and dealing with multiple limitations (which can mostly be bypassed through the store) in order to progress past the first 20-30 levels. The second two are more along the lines of Freemium, with the only exception being that the first requires some form of payment - whether that be purchasing an expansion, subscribing for a month, or even buying points. This mode removes a lot of the more draconian limitations placed on free players, but still requires purchasing quest packs with points. Finally, the old tried-and-true subscription model works exactly how it does in most other MMOs. Namely, unlimited access to content, save for expansions. Subscribers also get a 500 point allowance per month to spend in the store for various convenience items.

* ''VideoGames/TempleRun'': To unlock all the characters and power-ups, you need coins. These coins can be gathered ingame, but for the impatient they are also available for real money.

-->'''Gabe:''' {{League of Legends}} ''is'' good. It's good!\\
'''Tycho:''' And it's free!\\
'''Gabe:''' It's '''so''' free.\\
''[BeatPanel]''\\
'''Tycho:''' How much money have you spent on League of Legends?\\
'''Gabe:''' I have spent ''eight thousand dollars''.
--> -- ''PennyArcade'', [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2011/6/10/unbeatable-value "Unbeatable Value"]]

* ''LeagueOfLegends'' is free to play. Playable champions can be unlocked with either Influence Points, won by playing matches, or Riot Points, which cost money, with ten free to play at any given time, rotating weekly. Riot Points can also buy skins for champions, which are purely cosmetic. However, Runes, which empower champions, can only be bought with Influence Points, preventing players from being able to [[BribingYourWayToVictory buy power]].

* {{Parodied}} by ''PennyArcade'' in [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2007/5/11/ this strip]].

* The DayNine Daily, a web show for ''StarcraftII'', has an "optional subscribers" program where for $5 a month viewers get to play games with Day[9] himself, among other little bonuses.

Compare and contrast {{Shareware}}, see also: AllegedlyFreeGame

Compare and contrast {{Shareware}}.

* ''{{Gemcraft}}'' does this. $5 gets you a handful of additional skills and some new battle settings, some of which are necessary to unlock all of the levels.

* ''QuakeLive'': Although you can play for free, by paying for the Premium account, you get extra maps, modes, and the ability to create your own dedicated servers, among other things.

* [[http://www.hulu.com Hulu]] offers free video streaming for popular TV shows and movies. Signing up for "Hulu Plus" expands the available video library significantly.

* ''AdventureQuest'' requires a one-time fee of $20 in order to upgrade your account to a "Guardian", unlocking additional content.

* ''{{DarkOrbit}}'' features two kinds of currencies: credits, which may be obtained generating and selling minerals (for free; it just requires you to be [[MoneyGrinding clickittyclickittypatient]]); and Uridium, which are obtained mainly paying a monthly fee. You can find both types of currency roaming randomly through the space and completing missions, but Uridium are much rarer, and, of course, [[BribingYourWayToVictory Uridium buy the coolest things]].
** To clarify: in the shop, all items have a fixed price, in credits or Uridium. You can still auction any item for credits, but you need '''lots''' of luck or '''lots''' of money. Or both. Or logging in at ungodly hours when no one's awake (it kind of helps that DarkOrbit servers are country-specific).

--> "Remember folks, this segment is for Platinum viewers only! So if your next trip has an in-flight ''movie'' instead of an in-flight ''safari'', why don't you run along and count how many frequent flyer miles you need to upgrade to an aisle seat? ''[[{{Beat}} [beat]]]'' Are they gone? Good."

* ''TeamFortress2'' went Free-To-Play when the Uber Update was released in Summer 2011. Free (or Limited) accounts only get to store up to 50 items in their Backpack, can only receive items rather than being able to Trade or give gifts, have limited Crafting blueprints and can't get Rare (such as the Halloween Items) or Cosmetic items. Otherwise, they can get all of the regular weapons, and all game modes and maps are available to both Free and Premium accounts.
** Worth mentioning is that the only requirement for "premium"/Retail is buying any item from the in-game store, which can be as cheap as $0.50.

Unlike games that use {{Microtransactions}}, Freemium games have a binary distinction between those who pay and those who do not: you're either Free, or you're Premium. This tends to limit the BribingYourWayToVictory effect--if you can only pay a fixed amount, you can't out-pay the other people who are paying. That's not to say that the two payment methods can't be combined--there's plenty of Freemium games that also feature {{Microtransactions}}.

Unlike games that use {{Micropayments}}, Freemium games have a binary distinction between those who pay and those who do not: you're either Free, or you're Premium. This tends to limit the BribingYourWayToVictory effect--if you can only pay a fixed amount, you can't out-pay the other people who are paying. That's not to say that the two payment methods can't be combined--there's plenty of Freemium games that also feature {{Micropayments}}.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/RS_Login_8314.jpg]]

[[redirect:AllegedlyFreeGame]]