Star Trek Online seems to have died and been reborn. It was first developed by Perpetual Entertainment. However, as has happened recently with many other software developers they could not stay afloat and were purchased. At that time the game was shifted to a more “casual approach” including the dreaded free to play approach. This style, while popular in Asia, seems to only be a last ditch approach in US MMO’s to stave off bankruptcy (See Archlord.) In free to play, gamers don’t have to pay a monthly fee as in say WoW or Everquest. Instead, they play for free and then have the ability to buy items from an in-game store for real money. This usually has the effect of unbalancing the game, as any advantage in the game naturally progresses from skill based to who has spent the most money buying items. Then, shortly after that announcement another was made that the game was no longer in development.
However, there is now some hope. In January the title was transferred to “Another Bay Area Development Company” according to Perpetual Entertainment. As shown in the quote below from Wikipedia, that company appears to be Cryptic Studios, makers of the popular MMO’s City of Heroes and City of Villans. This would be a very fortunate turn of events and means that perhaps Star Trek Online does indeed have a bright future ahead. We can only hope.
“In early March 2008 the official website for the game posted a notice of ‘coming soon’, implying that the domain had been transferred to a new company and the game was once again under development. On 13 March, Star Trek news site TrekMovie.com reported having confirmed with “sources” that the new developer is Cryptic Studios, as had been the rumor for several weeks.[5]” — Wikipedia Article “Star Trek Online”
Cryptic Studios did in fact pick up the game and it was released on February 2, 2010. Cryptic studios decided to not use any of the previously created programming by Perpetual Entertainment and instead started from scratch. The game is split between ship combat and ground combat where players take the role of an ensign that has received a battlefield promotion to captain durning a Borg invasion. According to the product page on Direct2Drive:
“In Star Trek Online, the Star Trek universe will appear for the first time on a truly massive scale. In this massively multiplayer online game from Cryptic Studios, players can pioneer their own destiny as Captain of a Federation starship. Or, they can become a Klingon Warlord and expand the Empire to the far reaches of the galaxy. Players will have the opportunity to visit iconic locations from the popular Star Trek fiction, reach out to unexplored star systems, and make contact with new alien species. With Episode Missions, every moment spent playing Star Trek Online will feel like a new Star Trek episode in which you are the star. Immerse yourself in the future of the Trek universe as it moves into the 25th century: a time of shifting alliances and new discoveries.
Join us in Star Trek Online, and boldly go where no one has gone before!”
