Like the theory of evolution, two major players in the free-to-play market have announced independently created plans to create unified platforms for their respective titles. The two publishers in question are strategy expert Wargaming.net, of World of Tanks fame, and Perfect World Entertainment, most recently in the headlines for the action-oriented Dungeons and Dragons MMORPG Neverwinter.
A constant query for WarGaming.net is whether the trio of MMOG from the developer will ever meet on the field of battle. Routinely labeled as a long-term goal, the merger of the premium accounts is a start. Long and short is that the company is going to introduce a single premium account system for its PC anthology. Premium on World of Tanks? Then you’ll receive the same treatment in World of Warplanes and the more-distant release of World of Warships.
On the flip side is Perfect World Entertainment, which, when you factor in the Chinese parent corporation Perfect World Company, houses over a dozen games. The company announced today that its titles will be managed by the upcoming Arc system. In short, the digital platform will be a mini Steam focused on the growing offerings of Perfect World. Account, game and forum management all in one place, an in-game overlay akin to Steam and social capabilities will spread across its realm.
What’s that mean for us western gamers? Why, harassing your friends in Torchlight II while you’re playing Star Trek Online of course! Hit the cut for early images of the Arc system.
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