Online games go free in China
One of China's most popular online games is now free to play. Shanda Entertainment announced yesterday that it would no longer charge players to enter its Legend of Mir II MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game). Instead of collecting hourly or monthly fees from players on most of its servers, the company will now generate income by charging for other services, such as "certain in-game items and premium features". Shanda has been testing a free version of the game for several weeks, and some other online games are also switching to free play. Observers have attributed the shift in Shanda's strategy to falling profits from the Legend of Mir II, the company's cash cow, which reported over half a million players simultaneously online during its heyday three years ago. Mir II was introduced in late 2001 and is a standard Tolkienesque isometric 3D role playing game.
