| Free Realms | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Sony Online Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Sony Online Entertainment |
| Engine | ForgeLight |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 |
| Release | Windows April 28, 2009 Mac OS X November 2, 2010[1] PlayStation 3 March 29, 2011[2][3] |
| Genre(s) | Massively multiplayer online, adventure |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Free Realms was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) set in a fantasy-themed world called Sacred Grove. The game was first released on April 28, 2009 for Microsoft Windows. Versions for Mac OS X and PlayStation 3 followed in subsequent years. The game was free-to-play with leveling restrictions, with access to additional content available through a membership fee. The game allowed the player to fight, interact with other players, take up jobs, and more.
The game's servers were shut down on March 31, 2014 in a closure of three other SOE MMOs that year; with the company stating a necessity to devote resources to other games,[4][5] as well as to move away from games oriented to children, through SOE President John Smedley stating in a Reddit ask-me-anything that "Kids don't spend well and it's very difficult to run a kids game. Turns out kids do mean stuff to each other a lot."[6][7]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
forums.station.sony.comwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Free Realms Available on PSN March 29 – PlayStation Blog". Blog.us.playstation.com. March 11, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ Eric Caoili (March 11, 2011). "SOE's Free Realms Releasing For PS3 On March 29". Gamasutra. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
- ^ Birnbaum, Ian (January 24, 2014). "SOE announces closure of four MMOs including Free Realms and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ "Sony Shuts Down Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Three Other MMOs – Black Gate". January 26, 2014.
- ^ Olivetti, Justin (January 9, 2021). "The Game Archaeologist: Free Realms". Massively Overpowered. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Royce, Bree (April 29, 2022). "Free Realms would've turned 13 years old this week if it were still alive". Massively Overpowered. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.