Hi-Rez Studios just announced that Global Agenda will be going free-to-play with the launch of the Free Agent update, which is expected to go live in mid-April. This sci-fi shooter MMO has been subscription-free since June 2010, so this change really just means that players will no longer have to pay a one-time fee to purchase the game.

Once the Free Agent update goes live, free-to-play players will have access to all of the game's current playable content without a level restriction. Players may also choose to make a one-time payment of $19.99 to upgrade to Elite Agent status, which will give them access to accelerated XP, loot and currency bonuses, as well as the auction house and in-game mail. Any player who has already purchased the game will automatically receive Elite Agent Status.

As far as micro-transactions are concerned, Hi-Rez will continue to offer the same Boosters in the Global Agenda webstore that are already available. These Boosters offer double XP, tokens, credits and end-of-mission loot.

In addition to the free-to-play switch,  the Free Agent update also introduces a new high-level Dome Defense raid, a Capture the Flag-style Mercenary PvP game-mode with pilotable robots, revised skill-trees across all four character classes and more. Keep reading after the jump for a summary of the differences between the free and elite versions of Global Agenda.

Below is a summary of the differences between Free and Elite versions of the game:

Free-to-Play

• No Level Restriction
• Ability to earn all of the game’s current items without spending real money.
• Access to all of the game’s current playable content, including:
  • Sonoran Desert Open Zone
  • Special Ops PvE (1- to 4-person Co-Op)
  • 10v10 Mercenary PvP
  • 4v4 Arena PvP
  • Double Agent PvPE
  • 10-person Defense Raids (including the new Dome Defense Mission coming in version 1.4).
  • Agency vs Agency Gameplay (AvA)

Elite Agent - One-time purchase of $19.99 (£13.99 GBP, €15.99 EUR)

• Earn End-of-Mission XP at twice the rate of a Free-to-Play user
• Earn End-of-Mission Credits and Tokens at twice the rate of a Free-Play user
• Earn End-of-Mission Elite Loot upon winning an instanced PvE or PvP match
• Choose which PvP game types you would like to play when queuing for Mercenary PvP.
• Access the Auction House
• Access In-Game Mail
• Less restrictive chat capabilities
• No ads for in-game voice
• Ability to create Agencies
• Higher Login priority