Yes! You are reading it correctly! We've considered a lot of issues, like piracy, global recession, tendency of players to spend more time online, etc. In the end we decided that players should be able to pay for the game as much as they want to pay for it!
Full version of the game will be accessed for free, but there will also be premium items for sale which will simplify your gaming progress.
Making the game free allows us to release beta-version of the game for general audience as early as possible and then continue improving it from feedback from all players, not from limited test group.
Let us know what you think about it in comments below!