Uncharted 3 multiplayer goes free-to-play

The multiplayer mode of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is being re-launched as free-to-play by Sony.

Players will be able to download and play the multiplayer part of the game for free up to level 15 with the option to pay to unlock co-op and local multiplayer modes and to lift the level cap.

Naughty Dog's Uncharted 3, which launched in 2011 as a Playstation 3 exclusive, already has a great deal of micro-transactions embedded into the game, making it a solid choice for the free-to-play model. Sony has also been selling 'tournament tickets' that give players special items for a limited amount of time.

At present, Naughty Dog boasts a monthly active player-base of approximately 500,000 with more than 3.5 million people having tried Uncharted 3's multiplayer. The free-to-play mode will launch today in Europe and is already live in North America.

Uncharted 3 shipped 3.8 million copies on its launch day and received a warm critical reception. Sony has committed to releasing further downloadable content in the future to back up the map packs that are already available.

There is precedent for Sony offering segments of its library up as free-to-play and the company did something similar with the Killzone 3 multiplayer last year.

Previous experiments in testing the free-to-play market also include its popular Singstar franchise. Although not adhering to a more traditional micro-transactions supported model, the game client and a selection of demo songs are available from the Playstation Network.