Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Becomes Free To Play!

The big Uncharted 3 update came into effect today (after patch 1.17 was implemented) and in a surprise move (to me anyway) Uncharted 3 multiplayer has been made free to play, that means if you don't own a physical copy of the game, you can download the digital version and play online without having to pay for anything. There are of course limitations to what rank/level you can reach, so therefore the weapons and boosters you can equip/use will be few in number but you can jump online and play with those who have purchased the full game. There is no time limit on how long you can play but once you reach a certain point, you simply won't progress any further rank wise. However, should you end up playing for quite a while after hitting the cap, you'll be glad to know that if you ever decide to purchase the full game, your XP/cash will be back dated. 

I think this is a great move by Naughty Dog and I think more games would benefit from being free to play, it keeps the player pools topped up and opens the door to plenty of potential new customers. There's currently a bit of confusion over whether those with a full retail disk version, can download the FTP digital version and play the game straight from the HDD without needing the disk at all. Additionally, I'm also curious as to whether I will now have access to all the previously released DLC, seeing as I've owned a new copy of the game since launch but never got around to purchasing the Fortune Hunters DLC pass. I'll report back here if and when I get clarification from a reliable source.

As I said above you'll get access to the entire Uncharted 3 multiplayer experience if you download the free to play version from the PSN but if you're wondering what that entails here's a list that was provided:

UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Co-op Adventure Add On – Unlocks Co-Op Adventure mode including the Fort Adventure DLC





UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Co-op Arena Add On – Unlocks to gain access to the Co-Op Arena Playlist including the Co-Op Shade Survival Mode DLC for UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Free to Play





UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Competitive MP (No Level Limit) – Removes the level cap for UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Free to Play





UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Competitive MP (Level 25 Limit) – Removes the Level 15 cap and allows you to play UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Free to Play up to Level 25





UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer Split Screen Add On – Unlocks Co-Op Adventure mode including the Fort Adventure DLC





UNCHARTED 3: Multiplayer DLC Map Packs – Unlocks all three DLC map packs released for UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception. Includes Flashback Map Pack 1, Flashback Map Pack 2, and Drake’s Deception Map Pack





UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception Single Player Experience – Uncover the Truth. Unlock the Single Player campaign

You can read the full details about Uncharted 3 becoming free to play on the PlayStation blog.