NCsoft just announced that the City of Heroes Freedom VIP Headstart Program will start on September 13, giving active subscribers access to the free-to-play update and Issue 21: Convergence weeks before they officially launch!

In addition to trying out all of the new content in advance, players in the VIP Headstart will be able to partake in a variety of additional benefits and activities, including:

• Costume Contests, judged by the development team, with a variety of prizes.
• Participate in the all new Death From Below and Underground Incarnate Trials with members of the Community team.
• Fend off massive Live Invasions by the forces of Praetoria and Hamidon across multiple servers.
• Exclusive sales bundles and promotions available only during the VIP Headstart.

NCsoft has not released an official launch date for City of Heroes Freedom, saying only that it will go live "later this year." With the VIP Headstart kicking off next week, it looks like players won't have to wait much longer until they're trying out City of Heroes for free!