Flying Lab just announced that this swashbuckling MMO will become free-to-play in the next major update this Fall.

The first expansion for Pirates of the Burning Sea, Power & Prestige, officially hit the live servers about 10 hours ago, but that news is only the tip of the iceberg for this swashbuckling MMO. Flying Lab Software just made a surprising announcement: Pirates of the Burning Sea will become free-to-play with the launch of the next major update sometime this Fall.

According to the press release, players will have "the ability to purchase premium content and various in-game items such as missions, clothes, pets and more" once the game switches to the free-to-play model. "Players will also have the option to purchase a subscription plan known as the Captain's Club, which is expected to include access to certain premium content, account upgrades and discounts."

What exactly will this change mean for Pirates of the Burning Sea? We reached out to Flying Lab to get all the details, so keep an eye on ZAM.com in the near future for answers from the development team.

UPDATE: Flying Lab CEO Russell "Rusty" Williams has written a devlog entry on the upcoming free-to-play change, and the official site has also been updated with a devlog that explains what going free-to-play means for players. Be sure to give them both a read and then check back with us regularly for more information from the team.

Here is the full press release from Flying Lab Studios:

Seattle, WA (September 14, 2010) Flying Lab Software has released Power & Prestige, the eagerly anticipated first expansion to its critically acclaimed MMORPG Pirates of the Burning Sea™.  Flying Lab Software is also announcing that its next major update,  expected in the Fall of 2010, will take Pirates of the Burning Sea free-to-play with the ability to purchase premium content and various in-game items such as missions, clothes, pets and more. Players will also have the option to purchase a subscription plan known as the Captain’s Club, which is expected to include access to certain premium content, account upgrades and discounts.

"Since we launched Pirates of the Burning Sea™ in January 2008, players have been battling on the high seas to control the Caribbean.  With Power & Prestige's Port Governance, we've added a whole new level of immersion to the struggle for power," said Russell Williams, CEO of Flying Lab Software. "Players also have access to a wealth of new content, and have a whole new fighting school to master. We're also excited to make Pirates of the Burning Sea even more accessible by making it free-to-play in the near future so that even more players can enjoy the amazing ship battles, in-depth missions, and the rich Caribbean setting."

Power & Prestige expands upon the game’s real-time Port Conquest system, allowing players to not only capture ports on behalf of their parent nations, but to also become a Port Governor with great economic and strategic influence. It also contains over 60 new missions, a new "Brawling" fighting school, and much more.

Power & Prestige is available to Pirates of the Burning Sea subscribers for no extra charge as an automatic download. New players can play the expansion by visiting www.burningsea.com/try <http://www.burningsea.com/try>.