Turtle Rock announced that Evolve will become a free-to-play on PC, starting from today July 7. After the criticism it received regarding the DLC of the game, and with the help of the community, the studio made this decision.
So, all those who bought the full game will get the Founder status, allowing them to keep all the previously purchased content and will be honored with gifts, rewards and special access during the time Evolve is in active development.
The studio said it will make a thorough review of Evolve, which will be back in the form of Beta for PC, while adjusting to the new business model. Consequently, Turtle Rock is planning a restructuring of hunters classes to create a new balance. There will be also a new user interface, the maps will be improved, the progression will go through a process of renewal and there will be more customization options.
As if that were not enough, the team Evolve wants to improve overall game performance, load times and improve the wait between games. The studio is focused on polishing stability and remove all bugs.
Through the blog of Turtle Rock, the studio was sincere and explained the reason for these changes, noting that it was all a result of receiving the game after its release.
“When Evolve launched, the reception wasn’t what we expected. Sure, there were some good reviews. There were also bad reviews,” said the studio. “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.”
Likewise, Turtle Rock also recognized the role of the community of Evolve to make this change because there arose the idea of turning the title into a free-to-play. The studio asked for patience and help make this transition, starting with testing the new server infrastructure. “We want that magic back and we aim to make it happen,” they said.
The main revisions of the Beta of Evolve, updates and new features, will be shared with the community during the coming weeks and months, with an active role of Turtle Rock with the players, to communicate every change that will receive to the game.
