In the increasingly competitive space of battle-royale games, Canadian developer Scavengers Studio has announced that Darwin Project is ditching its pay-to-play model, in favor of adopting a free-to-play model that many of the other games in sub-genre already use.

According to the developer, the decision is a result of it wanting to ensure players get the most out of the game, which means bringing in new players and maintaining a certain level of activity. And the best way to attract a larger player base is to make your game accessible to everyone, via removing any paywall.

The news comes specifically from the games Creative Director Simon Darveau, who wrote the following message about the decision on the game's Steam page:

“We’ve said from the start that we’re committed to creating a fresh and exciting experience for Darwin Project players and viewers. With features like the Show Director who serves as a master of ceremonies, Spectator Interactions that let viewers directly interact with streams, and an emphasis on tracking that ensures players are always within arm’s reach of a tense confrontation, we still believe Darwin Project offers a quality experience unlike any other battle royale game out there.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a core community of players join us at a very early stage, with many still supporting us during Early Access, and the last thing we want to do is let those passionate players down. Lately, members of our community have reported longer queue times and difficulty finding matches in lesser populated servers. To bring in new players and maintain a level of activity that ensures players are able to get the most of out Darwin Project, we’ve decided to make it more accessible by removing the price tag.

“We’re aware that it’s a big change, and we want to reiterate that we’re remaining true to Darwin Project’s vision as we move forward,”

Scavengers Studio acknowledges that this may leave a bit of a sour taste in the mouth of players who already bought the game at its original price-point. To remedy this, if you already own the game, you’ll receive the Founder’s Pack containing three Legendary sets, three Legendary Axes, three Legendary Bows, a full jumpsuit collection, and five “Fan Gifts.” These freebies will arrive on April 24th, aka next Tuesday, the same day the game's new major customization update that adds over 200 skins hits.

Lastly, getting out ahead of the inevitable speculation, Scavengers Studio reassures that this doesn't mean the game is or will be pay-to-win, noting it “will never sell items that give a competitive advantage.”

Darwin Project is currently available on PC and Xbox One via Early Access and Xbox Game Preview, respectively. At the moment, the game is only free to play on PC, and still costs $14.99 USD on Xbox One, however, the developer has noted the price-point on the Microsoft console will soon be adjusted to free as well, though when exactly, isn't clear.

Posted: Apr 22, 2018 10:38 am
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: http://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/04/20/darwin-project-free-to-play-pc-xbox-one/