On a future Earth ravaged by aliens and 50 years of global war, a civilization emerges that rejects the old ways to forge a new destiny in a wild frontier. Can the connection between a lawman trying to keep his town safe and a new kind of gold rush in San Francisco hold the only hope for a better future?

The game combines the intense action of a “AAA” console shooter, with the persistence, scale, and customization of an MMO, while its TV counterpart weaves the rich tapestry of the world into a series with the scope, characters, and drama of a classic sci-fi epic. Because they exist in a single universe, the show and the game will influence each other and evolve together over time, with actions in both mediums driving the overall story of  Defiance.

Strap in, Ark hunters!

Defiance is now free-to-play on PC, just in time for the Season Two premiere of the game’s crossover television series on SyFy, June 19 at 8/7c in the U.S. on Showcase at 10pm ET/PT in Canada and on Syfy UK.

New players and returning vets will be able to battle through the entire Bay Area storyline, and the new Stahma’s Interests story missions.

Players who purchase a new box or digital copy of Defiance are granted the following bonuses:

• A grant of 1,000 Arkforge, in-game currency redeemable for resetting weapon mastery, upgrading a weapon’s power      rating or even bumping an uncommon weapon to epic rarity.
• 4 Character Slots, 5 Loadouts, up to 75 Ark Keycodes and a minimum 70 Inventory Slots.
• 30 days of Paradise Patron status, which grants:    
  • Boosts to skill, XP, scrip, salvage and reputation gain rates that stack with the matching boosts available in the store.
  • 10% store-wide discount – on boosts, costumes, lock boxes, all of it!
  •  A grab bag of one-hour boosts or Arkforge from Daily and Weekly Ark Hunter Bonus Lock Boxes.

Trion is also targeting July 15 for the free-to-play launches on PS3 and Xbox 360.