Evolve, released in 2015, had some good hype going for it. It was from the makers of Left 4 Dead, it’s trying out asymmetrical multiplayer where a team of 4 fighting against one human-controlled monster, with a cool logo to boot. It was also going for that e-sports route as well.
After launch however, reviews are all over the place, the horrendous way they handled DLC and season pass was critically panned by both critics and players that bought the full-priced RM200+ game. It never caught on to grow a large player base it was expected. Their past success with the Left 4 Dead series was not replicated here.
As such, today developers Turtle Rock Studioshas announced that Evolve will go completely free-to-play. For PC only, at least at the moment. A beta test will run tomorrow to those that are interested to give it a whirl.
It is mentioned that this is not just a mere repackaging of sorts. A lot of the game itself will be entirely be reworked to address the ongoing issues in terms of gameplay, with a promise of reworking certain classes, improved map and UI as well as overall performance enhancements. Thus, the need for another beta test before a proper launch is scheduled. Once everything is set in stone with the PC version, the consoles will get a free-to-play version as well.
So what does this mean to the folks who actually bought the game beforehand? Paid players will be given a “Founder” status. Turtle Rock is promising early adopters to receive special bonuses.
You can download the newly-branded Evolve Stage 2 here on Steam.
Publishers 2K are betting on this move will help give the game more love and reach an audience it failed to achieved the last two years before. With its latest multiplayer game, Gearbox Softwawre’s Battleborn, also in trouble of attracting a healthy player-base, hopefully this gambit pays off in some ways.