Free Realms

Free Realms was a massively multiplayer online role playing video game, developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) for the PC, Mac, and PlayStation 3, set in a fantasy-themed world named Sacred Grove. The game was released on April 29, 2009, for the Windows PC. The game restricted free to play up to level 20, although there was access to additional game content via a membership fee. The game allowed the player to fight, interact with other players, and more. It was closed on March 31, 2014; SOE stated that they no longer had enough resources to maintain so many servers.

Business model

The game was available to download and play free of charge. The PC version was accessed via the Free Realms web site or, through game arcade sites Candy Stand or Miniclip. During character creation a 3D client downloaded in the background and then streamed as the user played; the same method was used to download new content or updates, which reduced file size and download times. A version of FreeRealms for Mac was announced at SOE Fan Faire 2010 for release "within the next 3 months." The Mac version was released on November 2, 2010.