Will Chrono Odyssey be free to play?

Will the upcoming Soulslike MMO Chrono Odyssey be free to play? That’s always a big question when a new MMO is on the horizon. Some people have said in the past that subscription-based games don’t succeed anymore, despite WoW and Final Fantasy XIV doing incredibly well. Others feel like buy-to-play MMOs can become frustrating, due to monetization issues. That, however, is a pretty fair critique of that style of game. After all, monetization has to come from somewhere.

Thankfully, we know what to expect from Chrono Odyssey, when it comes to the topic of it being free to play, and no, it is not going to be free to play at all. There may eventually be free weekends or something, as that’s pretty common, but you will have to pay for access.

No, Chrono Odyssey will not be free to play

It’s been confirmed that Chrono Odyssey will not be a free to play game, but will have a retail price. This makes sense, as that’s something Kakao Games have done before. Before Pearl Abyss became the publisher and developer, Kakao Games published the buy-to-play MMO. This means we likely can expect one price to buy the game, and no subscription either.

We'll no doubt see awesome cosmetic skins in this game's cash shop (Image via Kakao Games)

However, we will almost certainly have to buy the major expansions/DLC updates when they happen, but we’ll have to see on that front. Most buy to play MMOs require that major expansions be purchased, for example, Diablo 4.

There will almost certainly be cosmetic purchases, and convenience items as well. The major fear is that since monetization hasn’t been discussed in detail, that there will be pay-to-win items, which is pretty common in South Korean online games.

I’m personally perfectly fine with convenience/go-faster items in the cash shop, provided the actual game mechanics aren’t slowed down to convince players to fork over more money. That’s a very predatory move, and it’s not one I hope to see here. I'm very excited for this MMO, even if I am bad at Soulslikes.

We know it has an amazing character creation suite, and pretty cool life skill options, but monetization? We’re just in the dark as you are, right now. However, we can tell you for sure that Chrono Odyssey is not free to play.

Check out our Chrono Odyssey guides and features

About the author

Jason is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda holding an amazing 11 years of experience under his belt. Having put out 4000-plus articles and amassing over 12 million reads for Sportskeeda, he is among the company’s most experienced writers. Jason holds a Bachelor's degree in English from UNC Pembroke and was inspired to become a gaming journalist very early on in life after reading Nintendo Power.

Jason is a jack of all trades when it comes to gaming journalism. He’s a key writer in Sportskeeda's MMO department, but he also likes to help out in other categories, like streamers, RPG, card games, and whatever else is needed. A solo gamer at heart, Jason's favorite titles include Earthbound and Dragon Warrior.

Jason places high value on accuracy and relevance in his write-ups. He achieves this with thorough research to sift facts from rumors. One of the biggest highlights of his career is his interview with Canadian pro wrestler Kenny Omega about his inclusion in the Like a Dragon game series. He is also good friends with journalist Kazumo Hashimoto, who he admires for the kind of stories he works on and his deep ethics.

A true cinephile, one of Jason’s primary hobbies involves enjoying cinematic experiences. He also loves reading, be it fiction or manga, when not working. Additionally, he streams on Twitch and posts his gaming insights on YouTube.

Know More

Edited by Jason Parker