Ubisoft announces Spartacus Legends as a free-to-play fighting game for PSN and XBLA

The free-to-play model is spreading pretty rapidly, and today, Ubisoft announced that their upcoming XBLA (for Gold members) and PSN fighting game, Spartacus Legends (based on the Starz TV series), will be launching as a free-to-play game.

Spartacus Legends will be free to download and play, and those gamers interested in making substantial progress or acquiring better equipment can do so by purchasing content from the respective marketplaces.

Depending on the game and its popularity, the model can work out quite well if done correctly. So it’s nice to see Ubi dip their toe into that water and at least test the free-to-play model out with an Xbox 360 and PS3 title.

Check out the first media for the game, and read on for the announcement with additional info.

Spartacus Legends screens:

Today, Ubisoft announced Spartacus Legends, an upcoming fighting game based on the popular original series produced and distributed by Starz Entertainment, will be launching for Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers as part of the pilot free-to-play program on Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and as a free-to-play title on PlayStation Network.

Utilizing the free-to-play model, Spartacus Legends offers gamers an opportunity to jump into an accessible fighting game. The game ensures that competitive play stays fair through a fame system; the higher-tier the equipment that is available for purchase, the more fame that is necessary to use that equipment.

Featuring thousands of ruthless weapon and gear combinations and a robust skill system, Spartacus Legends delivers a variety of tools for gamers to customize their gladiators and dismember their foes. Gamers will be able to fight as Spartacus, Crixus or one of their own created gladiators as they battle with a friend offline or in online multiplayer to join the ranks on the worldwide leaderboards.

?Spartacus: War of the Damned,? is scheduled to air on STARZ in January 2013. The upcoming final season takes place following the defeat of Roman commander Gaius Claudius Glaber. Spartacus and his men have amassed major victories against the Romans after the Battle of Vesuvius. These victories have not only forged the legend of Spartacus, but have greatly increased the ranks of the rebellion slaves to more than 30,000. Rome is indeed beginning to tremble at the threat Spartacus now represents. The ?Spartacus? franchise (?Blood and Sand,? ?Gods of the Arena,? ?Vengeance?) airs in more than 150 countries and has been translated into 15 languages. In the United States, viewership for the show has grown with each season, and is one of the highest rated cables series, with more than six million viewers watching each episode.

For more information on Spartacus Legends, please visit: http://starz.com/spartacuslegends