Codemasters' MMORPG ArchLord will become free-to-play from January 4, 2007, the British publisher announced this week! So if you ever felt the urge to try it, all you will need to do is buy the game and... that's about it, monthly fees will become obsolete in a month. Moreover, Codemasters is also planning to release a free expansion for the game developed by NHN Games, giving players even more reason to join their virtual world (if they somehow escaped other hugely successful fantasy MMOs until now... I won't even bother giving names).

The free expansion is called Episode II: Season of Siege, and Codemasters hopes to launch it in the coming weeks - probably shortly after ArchLord will become free to play.

"After the change, ArchLord will continue to be fully supported, including the second fantastic update Episode II: Season of Siege. However, players will now be able to access all this great content simply by buying the box; after that it's free!

Over the next few days all those playing ArchLord will be receiving emails updating them of the changes and how they will be affected. Also, keep an eye on the homepage as more information will be posted up over the course of today."

Despite all the good news, there's also a tiny let-down for existing ArchLord players, who were promised some bonus items for December 3. Codies are asking them to please be patient, because the items are on their way and will be issued "as soon as possible". And if that's not good enough for you, you can always go and complain on the ArchLord forums. Just don't overdo it, they are making it free (to play), after all.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)