Chaos is coming to the elemental planes. Rift's next update, version 2.4 Beyond Infinity, will bring new conflicts, strange environments, and yes, new hairstyles to the free-to-play MMORPG, according to a press release from developer Trion Worlds.

Most of the announced content for update 2.4 points to a new and colorful cast of characters for Rift's Telara game universe. An especially intriguing new area is a place called the Planebreaker Bastion, where a "doomsday automaton" is being pieced together under the direction of an unpleasant-sounding individual named Inyr'Kta. Mystical foundries forging giant robotic creatures to conquer the world? Yes, please.

The Planebreaker Bastion looks to be one of several new spaces to explore, along with The Infinity Gate, the Realm of Twisted Dreams, and an alternate Telara called Infernal Dawn: Laethys, where an evil dragon is planning an invasion. Rift, which went free-to-play back in June, will also be including new PvP rank 90 armor and weapons, as well as a new batch of hairstyles to choose from in the game's barbershop.

The update is still officially "coming soon," but Massively has reported, by way of a German-language Rift forum, that parts of the update, such as the PvP rank increase, may drop as soon as September 18.

Hat tip, VG24/7.

Update: In an official statement, Trion Sr. Director of Global Communications Katie Uhlman has confirmed the closure of Trion's San Diego studio:

"We can confirm that the San Diego studio will be closing. The day to day operations of Defiance will be moved to our Redwood City studio where it can be managed alongside Rift and our other in development titles including ArcheAge and End of Nations. As part of this transition, we are working hard to ensure that a number of great people will be making the move from San Diego to the Bay Area and continue their work at Trion."

Original: A source tells PC Gamer that Trion Worlds has shuttered its San Diego studio, which was responsible for developing sci-fi MMO Defiance. Former COO Scott Hartsman, who departed the company in January, returned this morning as CEO—our source couldn't confirm whether or not the closure was decided before the management change.

As reported by Gamasutra, Hartsman told employees: "We're going to rapidly be laying the groundwork for a new strategy at Trion—one that's closer to the foundation of how we've had our wins so far, and then extending that base into the enduring success this company can, and will, be."

Trion owns two other studios, its corporate headquarters and Rift development studio in Redwood Shores, CA, and a technology studio in Austin, TX. We've contacted the company for comment.

Rift is currently enjoying a resurgence, thanks its free-to-play switch. But having hordes of players bouncing between dynamic quests and rift encounters is one thing, keeping them there is another. In an effort to keep their newly bolstered community engaged, developer Trion held a recent livestream in which they teased upcoming updates and features, and gave the first info on the 3.0 expansion.

Four new souls are planned: Support Cleric, Healing Warrior, Tanking Mage and Healing Rogue. You'd be forgiven for suspecting that Rift's Soul design is based around arbitrarily picking words out of a hat, but in this instance, the added roles fill areas each class has been traditionally weak. The hope is to further expand the flexibility of styles on offer.

Other improvements will see a more customisable weapon and armour upgrade system, with more scope to define your style, and an increased role for companion pets. In addition, Dimensions will get an upgrade, with Trion looking to give player-owned housing more purpose.

Image Source: RiftScene

Finally, they revealed the planned 3.0 expansion - focusing on the plane of Water. Cross-section concept art showed a multi-level environment, including a frozen lake and underground city. Previously, Trion released Storm Legion as the 2.0 expansion - adding two continents that tripled the size of the game's world. If their future plans are anything like as ambitious as that release, it should keep Rift players busy for some time.

Thanks, RiftScene (via Joystiq).

Here's a cheeky shot at certain other MMOs; ones that perhaps haven't been as generous with their free to play content. Rift is going free to play, and to make the switch Trion Worlds have released this trailer, explaining the features that free-to-players will have access to. It stops just short of going "BOOM! It's the whole game", then dropping the mic and strutting off the stage. Actually, looking at it again, that's pretty much exactly what it does.



To sum it up less provocatively, here's the free-to-play comparison chart:



The better news is that Rift is well worth trying out. We liked it back in 2011, when it had just a fraction of its current content, and continued to like it last year, when I reviewed the Storm Legion expansion.

Rift is also launching its 2.3 update today. It brings a new zone, a 10-player raid, a Chronicle, and open-world raid bosses, along with some added performance improvements.

There’s some consternation over Rift, the much-loved MMO from Trion Worlds, switching to free-to-play. While moving to a F2P business model can add life into drowning games, developers abusing the microtransaction system can quickly destroy the balance of the game in exchange for cold, hard cash.
Rift sought to calm our fears by detailing the new systems last week, and now they’re inviting former players to come back to the fold. Trion announced on Twitter that Rift will be free for five days to anyone who has ever owned it beginning tomorrow. Players are free to load up their lapsed accounts, jump back into the game, and decide if they want to resubscribe before the official free launch of June 12.
Since subscribers get special bonuses to a number of game systems, this is a chance for players to chip in for special perks just before the game launches to the masses.

Former subscribers, even players who purchased at launch and only played for the first 30 days, can get free access to the game starting tomorrow, May 30, and running until Monday, June 3. Read through the full guide to Rift’s new F2P mechanics here.

Rift is one of the few, rather excellent subscription MMOs still remaining, so its conversion to free-to-play is a little scarier than the usual case. But you can relax, okay? Things will be just fine. Trion Worlds has released an FAQ detailing the three different payment levels, and they ensure us that "free-to-play" is not a euphemism for pay-to-win—"the best items in the game will always have to be earned in Telara."

After the crossover date of June 12, Subscribers will still be a thing. Known as Patrons, they'll receive a slew of benefits for their monthly $15 payment, including a 15% increase on in-game currency earned; a daily boost to XP, PvP XP, and reputation gain; 10% faster mounted travel speed; and instant access to banks and trainers. Oh, and also a 10% discount at the Rift in-game store. These benefits will be available in the Rift store for 3-, 15-, and 30-day durations as well, for those who don't want to give the full measure of subscribing.

Ah, but what of the free players, you may wonder? Entirely new players will have their character slots knocked down to a maximum of two, and their bag slots to three. But if you've ever purchased Rift before, these slots will remain at six and five respectively—and you're still able to buy Rift any time before June 12, if you're an intended newcomer to Telara and don't want to be restricted. (The expansion's benefits, of course, will still need to be paid for, even by Subscribers.)

Finally, a loyalty program is forthcoming, replacing the previous Veteran Awards. A full preview's available in a letter from producer Bill Fisher.

We loved Rift upon release, so we're hoping that its free-to-play crossover happens with a minimum of hitches. Personally, I canceled my own subscription due to a lack of funds, so the prospect of getting back into Telara is rather exciting. Though I hear I'll still need the currency they refer to as "free time," and who knows what zone I'm supposed to farm that in.

A large number of staffers has been laid off from Defiance developer Trion Worlds. As reported by IGN, the number could be as high as 80% of the development staff, though Trion has called that number “exaggerated.”
Trion let go parts of the Rift development team in a previous round of layoffs in December. Regarding these layoffs, the company issued a statement reading, in part:

"With Defiance, we delivered a great game that more than one million gamers registered to play and continue to enjoy. As we progress from launch to ongoing development of the game, we are adjusting our staffing levels to deliver new content and improved features. RIFT, and our other titles in development, were unaffected by these changes.”

The team at the sci-fi MMO Defiance recently announced a series of DLC packs, and the TV show linked to the game was recently renewed for a second season.