Evolve goes Free2Play on PC, but UPDATE not happening for Consoles

[StrickenBiged]

 

So, when you first walk into Turtle Rock, this is what you see:

 

EvolveAwards.png864x1296 1.54 MB

 

We’re proud of those awards -- they hang in the lobby for a reason. Evolve received over 65 nominations and awards at various trade shows after we announced. It was the first title in history to win Game of Show at both E3 and Gamescom. It felt great to receive all those awards and we don’t ever want to forget that feeling. Game development is an art and what artist doesn’t love having their work appreciated?

When people first started playing Evolve at those and other conferences, it was magical. Sure, there was the AAA videogame hype surrounding our title. Yeah, we also had the flashy displays, the giant Goliath statue, and all the other things AAA games do to get people excited. And that stuff was cool. Really cool. But, what we lived for -- what was cooler by far -- was just seeing people play Evolve for the first time. We worked on it for years and then, suddenly, people got to experience our game, controller in-hand. There was genuine excitement -- real joy -- when people played. It was like nothing they’d ever played before and watching it happen was like no high we ever felt.

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!

Just to give you some examples:

• 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.

Most importantly, we just want to put the game in your hands. Try Evolve out. See what you think. We hope you like it and we're not going to charge you to give it a try.

“Wait! What?! What does that mean?”

It means we’ve been listening and now we’re taking Evolve in the direction that a lot of you have suggested since the beginning. We’re making Evolve free on PC. No buy-in or box required.

Making Evolve free on PC is going to be a process that takes time and a lot of hard work, but we believe in Evolve and we believe in you, our players and want to do what’s best for both!

Here’s how it’s going to work: We’re going to make Evolve free on PC as a Beta starting on July 7. This is going to allow us to hit our new server infrastructure really hard and we need your help testing. Stuff could break, and that’s our hope, because that will give us time to improve things as we go. We’ll parse out major Beta revisions, updates and features over a period of weeks and months -- a plan we're going to continually communicate here. This allows us to test new features and major changes to make our game more accessible and ever closer to the joy we saw when we first showed our baby to the world. Just as importantly, this Beta plan gives us the flexibility and time we need to keep fixing bugs and making Evolve more stable.

“What about those who paid for Evolve? What about Season Passers?”

Anyone who owns classic Evolve will be given “Founder” status in the new free version, and all the content you already own comes with you to the new version. As long as we work on Evolve, we will show our appreciation for our committed fans and early adopters with gifts, rewards, and special access. Why? Because you believed like we did, and we will never forget that.

As part of our promise to recapture the magic and improve the Evolve experience across-the-board, we're going to ratchet up our communication with the community. We will be continually updating our social channels, our forums and our website to let you know how it’s going.

We have lived and breathed Evolve for over four years and we feel like we are just getting started. Since launch we realized Evolve has provided people some of their most exciting gaming moments and we want to make more of those for everyone... well, everyone who is OK with being periodically murdered (brutally) by terrifying alien monsters.

See you on Shear.

Chris Ashton & Phil Robb

Co-Founders

Turtle Rock Studios, Inc.

 

Source. Media reaction from Eurogamer.

 

_________________________

 

Well, I hate to use an already overused phrase, but doesn't this seem like a "slap in the face" to those of us on console and to anyone who bought the game since launch?

 

I suppose we'll have to wait and see what the F2P plans are exactly on PC, and await news on whether the same will be done on console. 

 

Personally, I think the game has probably already had its day and missed its chance. But maybe lowering the barrier to entry might help reinvigourate the online, which AFAIK has been pretty dead for a while. I might try it out if it were free on PS4.

 

Must be sad for the devs who worked so hard on the game that the publisher's convoluted DLC plans - the "DLC shitstorm", as Turtle Rock co-founders Chris and Phil put it - turned people off the game. Hopefully the lesson will have been learned: keep it simple, stupid! Make it clear to people where the value lies, and they'll be more likely to buy your product.

 

Make it seem like they will have to buy all umpteen editions of your game in order to have access to the "complete package", or that you're trying to gouge them for cash, and they'll probably look elsewhere. 

 

Just my initial thoughts. What do y'all think? 

 

Edit:

 

In a tweet, Turtle Rock have confirmed that the plan is to eventually go F2P on consoles too:

 

Thanks to IntenseFATE98.

 

UPDATE - 26 October 2016

 

Nope, Free 2 Play Evolve is no longer coming to console. 

 

 

Seems like the greater things you aspire to, the more time it takes. We had huge aspirations for Evolve, and while we got to spend five and a half awesome years on planet Shear with a ragtag group of Planet Tamers and fearsome Monsters, it still doesn’t feel like enough - we were hungry for more but unfortunately today is the last day that Turtle Rock Studios can work on Evolve.

 

It’s always hard to leave one of our games behind. Left4Dead was no different and now it’s Evolve’s turn. There will always be a special place in our hearts for our past projects. No matter what happens with Evolve in the future, we’ll know it was born in this studio and developed by this team alongside this beautiful community.

 

This is the life of AAA game developers who aren’t self-funded and don’t own their own IP. We don’t get to make the call. We all know that going in but we still sign the dotted line because we love what we do. We are happy to have gotten the opportunity to do something risky, something new and innovative. We created a brand new Sci-Fi world. We got to go to planet Shear and interact with alien flora and fauna. We got to hunt down, trap and kill giant monsters together. We got to BE the monster. What an awesome experience.

 

The last five and a half years represents so much. We are so proud of Evolve, the Turtle Rock team and the Evolve community. Getting on the forums, Reddit, Facebook and Twitch and talking directly to you has been a highlight of many of our careers. On no other project have we ever been able to interact so directly. The Evolve community is the best we could have hoped for and we hope you come with us and become a part of the Turtle Rock community.

 

We want to thank all the people at THQ who initially believed in us when we were that tiny studio in a little converted warehouse with a dream of making something truly different. Thanks to 2K for picking up the mantle out of THQ’s bankruptcy and making Evolve one of the most anticipated games of 2015. Additional big thanks to 2K for reaching outside their comfort zone and funding Evolve: Stage 2 by taking a AAA game free to play, which was a first for all of us.

 

Most of all, we want to thank you, our players, for supporting Evolve and Evolve: Stage 2, many of you from the very beginning. You embraced our vision and fell in love with it just as we did. We have learned so much from you. Thank you all for your feedback, your support and your dedication.

 

We love this community and don’t want to say goodbye via a letter on a website, so we’ll be hosting one final Evolve-themed Livestream on Thursday, October 27 at twitch.tv/evolvegame starting at 12 PM Pacific Time. We’ll be there talking about our experience on the project and answering as many of your questions as we can.

 

There’s a lot that we really wish we could have done, especially taking Stage 2 to consoles, but it looks like that’s just not meant to be.

 

Those of you who’ve followed Turtle Rock Studios, this is not goodbye. We have lots of stuff in the works that we hope you’ll enjoy but we are departing on the Laurie-Anne for the last time and must bid a farewell to the planet Shear.

We’ll see you all again, another time on another world….

 

So long, Shear. It’s been an adventure.

 

Phil & Chris

 

Source: Our final message to the Evolve Community

Edited October 26, 2016 by StrickenBiged

[Klart]

Apparently somewhere on social media they mentioned consoles as well (later on)...

[Guest]

About time. A game of this caliber should had been F2P with cashshop since the beginning.

[LetsTurnJu-On]

Shoulda been released as F2P they openly admitted they wanted to make money from DLC, Perfect for the F2P model.

[IntenseFATE98]

Was planning on getting this since its pretty cheap now, I guess I'll just wait.

[Super-Fly Spider-Guy]

I mean, with all the DLC shit they pulled I wouldn't have paid for this game ever, and it's been on sale for 10 or 15 new a million times near me and I still ignore it, so I'm not just saying that... but for free I'd give it a go.

Probably a good call really, it's got a pretty bad rep, at least among the people I talk to, and this is a step in the right direction, hopefully it's worth the download.

[Happy]

Looking back it was pretty stupid on my end that i wasn't expecting this. Can't say if this will help the game. From what i've heard, most people stopped playing after a short while so not many may end up playing the F2P version long rnough to actually consider paying for microtransactions etc.

[skateak]

That is how it should have launched honestly.

[Wavergray]

Here's a video with a Gameplay Breakdown:

 

Apparently there will be no monetization in the F2P version.

Here's what you get if you already own the game:

With the launch of Evolve Stage 2 as a Free title on Steam, we did not want to forget the players who believed in Turtle Rock Studios from the very beginning and supported Evolve when we first launched back in February 2015. When returning Steam players login to Evolve Stage 2 for the first time, they will be granted ‘Founders Status’. This includes a number of bonus items and continued exclusive unlocks as we continue to update Evolve Stage 2. Below is a breakdown of what it means to be a Founder in Evolve Stage 2.

What is a Founder?
Any player who previously owned Evolve on Steam and bought any DLC content such as skins or characters will have all paid content carry over into Evolve Stage 2. Not only do you get all your old content, Founders will get exclusive badges, skins and other cosmetic items as we continue to update Evolve Stage 2 in the weeks to come.

What do Founders get on Launch Day?
All content currently available for Founders is detailed below:

• 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.
• If you owned any Hunters, Monsters, or Skins previously, those will be carried over to Evolve Stage 2.

Future Founder Content
As a further show of our appreciation to our Founders, we’ll continue to add new Founder exclusive cosmetic items and Adaptations that our Founders will get as soon as they launch.
Thanks again for being a supporter of Evolve, we can’t wait to see you back on Shear. 
 
For more information about Evolve Stage 2, please also check out:

• Full detail of all content in Stage 2 at launch
• A Letter from Our Founders
• Launch Patch Notes

 

I'm kind of glad I bought the Ultimate Edition when it was $20.  Just the thought of how much time it would take to unlock all of that stuff in the free to play version is mind boggling.

Edited July 7, 2016 by soultaker655

[Flop]

Are you fucking kidding me? I spent $60 on this game, and I actually loved it. Only reason I stopped playing is because a lot of my friends stopped playing it, bitching about how they didn't wanna support the DLC. Well, don't! I still played the game, even when a shit ton of DLC has been releasing, and I still was having fun! I never once spent money on the game aside just buying the standard game. I still this is a great game. Oh well. Hopefully I'll be able to play this game again with friends now, or meet people, as I still have friends who refuse to play this game. And yeah, a LOT of people stopped playing this game not too long after launch, which is why it was hard for me to play the game by myself and with random. Either people didn't like it, or started bitching about the DLC/Season Pass(es)

[Rowdi]

Was planning on getting this since its pretty cheap now, I guess I'll just wait.

Stay away. Stay very far away. It was a good idea that was poorly implemented. It's clunky as all hell to play, the load times are atrocious and just plain boring to boost. The only reason I played it was to help a friend get his plat and because it was already "too old to get dlc trophies". That friend is now on my blocked/de-friended list at the moment. Friends aren't supposed to do this kinda shit to each other.

Bob, if you're reading this, it's your ass!!!

In all seriousness, if you're a completionist and you do decide to try Evolve out, it's definitely one of those games that you need to try out on an alt account. Be sure to try to get the monster tutorial trophy a few times before you make a decision too.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Rowdi

[StrickenBiged]

UPDATE - 26 October 2016

 

Nope, Free 2 Play Evolve is no longer coming to console. 

 

Quote

 

Seems like the greater things you aspire to, the more time it takes. We had huge aspirations for Evolve, and while we got to spend five and a half awesome years on planet Shear with a ragtag group of Planet Tamers and fearsome Monsters, it still doesn’t feel like enough - we were hungry for more but unfortunately today is the last day that Turtle Rock Studios can work on Evolve.

 

It’s always hard to leave one of our games behind. Left4Dead was no different and now it’s Evolve’s turn. There will always be a special place in our hearts for our past projects. No matter what happens with Evolve in the future, we’ll know it was born in this studio and developed by this team alongside this beautiful community.

 

This is the life of AAA game developers who aren’t self-funded and don’t own their own IP. We don’t get to make the call. We all know that going in but we still sign the dotted line because we love what we do. We are happy to have gotten the opportunity to do something risky, something new and innovative. We created a brand new Sci-Fi world. We got to go to planet Shear and interact with alien flora and fauna. We got to hunt down, trap and kill giant monsters together. We got to BE the monster. What an awesome experience.

 

The last five and a half years represents so much. We are so proud of Evolve, the Turtle Rock team and the Evolve community. Getting on the forums, Reddit, Facebook and Twitch and talking directly to you has been a highlight of many of our careers. On no other project have we ever been able to interact so directly. The Evolve community is the best we could have hoped for and we hope you come with us and become a part of the Turtle Rock community.

 

We want to thank all the people at THQ who initially believed in us when we were that tiny studio in a little converted warehouse with a dream of making something truly different. Thanks to 2K for picking up the mantle out of THQ’s bankruptcy and making Evolve one of the most anticipated games of 2015. Additional big thanks to 2K for reaching outside their comfort zone and funding Evolve: Stage 2 by taking a AAA game free to play, which was a first for all of us.

 

Most of all, we want to thank you, our players, for supporting Evolve and Evolve: Stage 2, many of you from the very beginning. You embraced our vision and fell in love with it just as we did. We have learned so much from you. Thank you all for your feedback, your support and your dedication.

 

We love this community and don’t want to say goodbye via a letter on a website, so we’ll be hosting one final Evolve-themed Livestream on Thursday, October 27 at twitch.tv/evolvegame starting at 12 PM Pacific Time. We’ll be there talking about our experience on the project and answering as many of your questions as we can.

 

There’s a lot that we really wish we could have done, especially taking Stage 2 to consoles, but it looks like that’s just not meant to be.

 

Those of you who’ve followed Turtle Rock Studios, this is not goodbye. We have lots of stuff in the works that we hope you’ll enjoy but we are departing on the Laurie-Anne for the last time and must bid a farewell to the planet Shear.

We’ll see you all again, another time on another world….

 

So long, Shear. It’s been an adventure.

 

Phil & Chris

 

Source: Our final message to the Evolve Community

[Bullstomp]

That sucks, sorry to all who got screwed.

Rowdi, my condolences. The situation you described REALLY sucks T_T