Those Who Purchased the Game Will Receive a Bunch of Goodies in Their Founder’s Pack
Simon Darveau, Creative Director at Darwin Project’s developers Scavengers Studio, announced on Xbox Wire that the game is now free-to-play on Xbox One, and ready to download today.
Those of you who paid for Darwin Project when it first came out won’t be getting shortchanged, thankfully. When you next launch it you’ll find a Founder’s Pack sitting in your inventory, which is full of lovely cosmetic items for you to jazz up your character with.
The pack contains two legendary sets containing a shirt, a set of pants, some body armour, and a pair of boots. Alongside these you’ll find three legendary axes, three legendary bows, a full jumpsuit, and 10 ‘fan gifts’ to open and stock up your wardrobe with presents from your adoring fans.
Darveau is also quick to add that, after going free-to-play, these items and all cosmetic items in-game will add no competitive advantage whatsoever, and that Darwin Project will never become pay-to-win. He also notes that the switch to free-to-play won’t affect their long-term goals for the game.
“With our switch to free-to-play, we want to take care to specify that cosmetics in the item shop grant no competitive advantage, and Darwin Project will never become pay-to-win. These items are for looking good; only skill helps you win!
“Dropping the price tag is a big change, but we remain committed to the same vision that has guided the development for over three years, and that means providing the best experience we can for all Darwin Project inmates. We hope that by switching to a free-to-play model, both early adopters and newcomers will be able to get the most out of Darwin Project.”
Though another battle royale game, our preview of Darwin Project left us with the impression that it does enough to help it stand out from the crowd. It chooses to go for a smaller map with less players, for faster, more intense matches. Our previewer describes the game as:
“…ten inmates in a battle royale free-for-all on an icy map divided into hexagonal sections. Each player starts with a bow and an axe and must forage for supplies from the get-go
“The survival mechanics will be familiar to anyone who’s played a game like Rust, where you have to hack trees down or break apart things in the world for crafting arrows or a fur cloak to stay warm. Every few minutes or so a crate will drop, giving the one player who acquires it an electrical component — which in turn allows you to craft very powerful items.”
Another unique feature the game offers is the role of the Show Director, who can survey the map from above and can alter the outcome of the match by giving gifts to some players, or by revealing their location to all other players.
Will you be picking up Darwin Project? Let us know!