Spartacus Legends, the upcoming fighting game based on STARZ Entertainment’s popular series,will launch on the XBLA and the PSN as a free-to-play title, Ubisoft announced today. You’ll be able to buy higher-tier equipment with micro-transactions, but you’ll need to you raise your in-game fame to a certain level in order to use it.

In Spartacus Legends gamers will be able to train inside the ludus and participate in brutal battles in the arena, all in their quest to become a true legend. They can fight as Spartacus, Crixus or one of their own created gladiators, and battle with friends offline or in online multiplayer. This arena battler promises to deliver thousands of ruthless weapon combinations, a robust skill system, and a variety of tools to customize their gladiators and dismember their foes.

Spartacus Legends is set to release in Winter 2013 in conjunction with “Spartacus: War of the Damned” which is scheduled to air on STARZ in January 2013.