The Exiled Realm of Arborea or TERA as it’s more commonly known will be going free to play in Japan and Korea, according to announcements translated by MMO Culture, on January 10th in Korea and in the middle of February for Japan (though it’s already gone F2P, the in-game cash shop remains to be implemented).
Posting on the official forums, En Masse Entertainment community manager Catherine Parks stated, “As you may have read today, NHN (the publisher for TERA in Korea) has decided to change TERA’s business model to be free. The industry has shifted in this direction and the Korean gaming market has always been on the forefront of this shift. NHN’s decisions are their own as is every territory that services TERA. TERA currently remains a subscription-based game in North America and Europe.
“Regardless of the news from Korea, the good news is that TERA will continue to grow and improve with new game content in North America, and all content will be available for us should we decide to evaluate their use. We know you are full of questions but that is all we have for now. Enjoy the holidays and look to January for more information – 2013 is going to be huge for us and we can’t wait to get started.”
Source: GIBiz