The PlayStation 3 maker's online division believes that micro-transactions and other models are the future of MMOs, not subscriptions.
Sony Online's latest massively multiplayer online game, The Agency, will feature a number of differences from other MMOs currently on the market. Firstly, it will not be an "orcs and elves"-style game within a fantasy universe, but a modern day universe featuring two different factions of spies.
Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley told delegates at his talk on "Subscriptions vs. Micro-Transactions" that, "There are quite a few 'men in tights' games out there; we alone have five, and we didn't want to do that."
After showing a short "making of" video of the upcoming Sony spy-themed MMO, Smedley explained that, "We worked to create a world where adults live out their fantasy of being an elite super agent."