Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is going free-to-play. "Core Fighers" will be available on PS3 this September, and it will make the "core game" experience free.

Included in the base version are four characters: Kasumi, Ayane, Ryu, and Hayate. With those four characters, all modes are playable minus Story mode. Tecmo says that through this model, you'll be able to "enjoy almost all DOA5U features at no cost," and you'll be able to play against players of both the full and free-to-play versions of the game.

Additional characters and features will be available to purchase piecemeal. For example, individual characters can be purchased for $4 each. Story mode can also be purchased separately for $15.

The entire game would cost $115 through the free-to-play pricing model, significantly more than the $60 disc version. However, not everyone will want to play as Brad or Tina, giving players the opportunity to pay only for content they'd want access to.

According to the Dead or Alive 5 website (via Joystiq, the free version is currently only planned for PS3. However, "check back for updates about a possible Xbox 360 version," the site adds.