Uncharted 3's multiplayer goes free to play

In a bit of a surprising move, the PlayStation Store had a new addition out of nowhere last night - a multiplayer only version of Uncharted 3- and you can play it for free. In an interview with the PlayStation Blog, Naughty Dog's Justin Richmond explained the decision - they feel that the multiplayer being a component of the full game limits the choices available to gamers, forcing those who only care about multiplayer into purchasing a single player campaign they aren't interested in. I don't know who isn't interested in Uncharted 3's single player (check out our review and Junglist's 5 Inch Floppy if you haven't already) but I guess they might exist.




Uncharted 3 isn't the first title to break out its multiplayer component and deliver it separately, but it might be the biggest name yet to do so. The free version of Uncharted 3's multiplayer gives players access up to level 15, at which point they can purchase level-cap unlocks or - ideally - purchase the GOTY edition of Uncharted 3, which includes the 12 released DLC maps, co-op modes and - of course - the single player. Richmond was keen to note that Uncharted 3 going F2P doesn't mean it will be pay to win, saying:

We are steadfast against the idea of pay to win, and we worked hard to maintain the balance of the game. This new player group is also getting to experience the full player base. The free-to-play version puts players in the same matchmaking as the full retail game. This means that players are getting the full Uncharted experience, not some watered down version.

I played Uncharted 3's multiplayer when it was released in beta before the game officially came out and it's certainly a lot of fun. More than that however, I am surprised nobody has done this already - it seems like a brilliant idea. I would say the odds of me ever buying any of Activision's ridiculously over-priced Call of Duty games might increase if I could see what all the fuss about the multiplayer was first, and maybe if more people had been able to play Splinter Cell's old Spies vs Mercenaries mode it would have had a bigger community. What do you think of this idea? Let us know in the comments below!