Play EVE Online for free starting today

As of today, CCP's space MMO EVE Online can be played for free. However, only the players who decide to pay for a monthly subscription will have access to all of the game's content.

The expected transition of EVE Online’s financial model from subscription-based to so-called freemium has happened today, announced CCP. The highly-popular space MMO has just received the largest update in its history, dubbed Ascension.

The primary innovation in the current version is the option to play EVE Online for free. Similarly to Star Wars: The Old Republic, players are now divided into Alpha and Omega State, depending on whether or not they are paying monthly subscription. Obviously, Omega players have unrestricted access to all of the game’s contents, while the free Alpha players can only make use of basic spaceships and a limited set of skills. On the other hand, if an Omega player stops paying subscription, some of the Premium options get locked.

Other features introduced in the Ascension update include: new cloning technology for both the Alpha and the Omega, improved guidance for newcomers, massive Engineering Complexes, new explosion effects, more activity in the asteroid belts, and many more. Head over here in order to view the entire change log.