Though the increase hasn't manifested without its share of problems, Sony's DC Universe Online MMO has definitely recruited some new players -- like, a ton of them. According to Sony Online Entertainment's executive director of entertainment Lorin Jameson, "DC Universe Online's transition to free-to-play has been welcomed by the community and gamers with heroic enthusiasm. In just one week alone, 1 million new players have joined DCUO, with a 50/50 split between PC and PS3." Given Jameson's one week timeframe begins November 4, the comment might indicate that even more players have joined since the November 1, when DCUO officially launched its free-to-play model.

The inherent boost in traffic has generated a number of hassles for would-be players, however. Massive queues have resulted in everything from outright server downtime to shorter server restarts and other troubleshooting measures by Sony. Players have reported getting stuck on loading screens and encountering buggy in-game play. Even downloading the game's assets takes considerable time -- like, leave-it-downloading-overnight/while-you're-at-work-or-school -- considerable time. Sony seems to continually be working to address these issues and has been posting regular updates and apologies to players via its various social media feeds. In an era where gamer patience is at a premium, Sony's response to the demands of free-to-play traffic could make or break return visits by players who have to budget their playing time.

You can see the free-to-play trailer for DCUO, plus the game's team discussing the title's latest update below:



[Via Venturebeat]