As some people guessed, Turtle Rock’s “craziest update yet” for Evolve today is a move to free-to-play, giving PC players the chance to download Evolve Stage 2 from Steam at no cost. It will first launch in beta form, and is expected to remain in this state “for a while as we test all of the new content, changes, and server infrastructure in a live environment.”
If you’re wondering whether Evolve will go free-to-play on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, Turtle Rock said, “Once we get through the Beta period on PC we’ll be launching on all Platforms for free.”
Sticking with the free theme, all additional content (characters, cosmetics, perks) in the F2P version of Evolve are “unlockable completely free using in-game currency earned simply by playing the game.” Essentially, “there is nothing behind a pay wall.”
In a message on the Turtle Rock forums, studio Co-Founders Chris Ashton and Phil Robb looked back at the launch of Evolve and how people were genuinely excited for the game. But the “DLC shitstorm” negatively impacted Evolve, and they want to recapture that early magic with the free-to-play version:
Then, when Evolve launched, the reception wasn’t what we expected. Sure, there were some good reviews. There were also bad reviews. Yes, there was excitement. There was also disappointment – for players and for us. The DLC shitstorm hit full force and washed away people’s enthusiasm, dragging us further and further from that first magical pick-up-and-play experience.
We want that magic back and we aim to make it happen. We’ve made a lot of changes, improvements and additions to Evolve over the past year and we’ve got a lot more coming. In short, we’re giving this game a vigorous overhaul!
In addition to going free-to-play, the PC version of Evolve will see some changes:
- We’re reworking the hunter classes to make the team less reliant on having experienced trappers and medics.
- We’re making improvements to the maps and UI.
- We’re improving load times, overall performance, and getting you into the game faster.
- We’re focusing on improving stability and fixing bugs.
- We’re completely reworking our progression system and tutorials.
- We’re adding more customization options.
For those who already own Evolve on Steam, you’ll become a Founder, and all of your owned Hunters, Monsters, and Skins will be carried over to Evolve Stage 2. On top of this, you’ll receive “3,000 Silver Keys, all past and future Adaptations for previously owned Hunters and Monsters, dozens of Weapon Skins, and four unique, animated Founder badges.”
Keep in mind that all of these changes are only confirmed for the PC version so far. When Turtle Rock has more details on the PS4 and Xbox One free-to-play versions in the future, we’ll let you know.
[Source: Evolve Game (1), (2), (3), (4), Turtle Rock Studios via Eurogamer]
