The Secret World drops sub fees

The Secret World has dropped the need for a subscription fee. What is a bit different is how they’re going about it: instead of going free-to-play, they’re following in Guild Wars 2′s footsteps – a one-time purchase gives you access to the full story-heavy MMO.

Buying the game now gets you access to the complete range of launch content, as well as the four subsequent content packs. Going forward, Issues will be sold as optional DLC, although the upcoming fifth update will be free for anyone who buys the game before the end of December.

The existing subscription will continue, now as an optional “membership,” and offers a selection of extra benefits. These include a Time Accelerator, which gives a 1-hour XP boost of 100%; $10 of bonus points per month; an item-of-the-month gift each month; and a 10% discount to items in the store. Members also get any future DLC as part of their subscription.