Scavengers Studio has confirmed that its theatrically-inclined battle royale game, Darwin Project, has gone free-to-play on Steam. The move is apparently to ensure a steady stream of fresh players onto the game's servers to ensure existing players shorter waiting times.
Those who've paid for the game already will be compensated with a number of exclusive cosmetic items which will go live on April 24. Here's the official line on that:
"If you own Darwin Project, you'll receive the Founder's Pack containing 2 Legendary sets, 3 Legendary Axes, 3 Legendary Bows, a full jumpsuit collection, and 5 Fan Gifts. It will be added to your inventory on Tuesday, April 24."
As for the move itself, it sees the game follow the lead of Fortnite BR and H1z1 in going free to play. Creative director Simon Darveau had this to say on the matter:
"We've been fortunate to have a core community of players join us at a very early stage, with many still supporting us during Early Access, and the last thing we want to do is let those passionate players down. Lately, members of our community have reported longer queue times and difficulty finding matches in lesser populated servers. To bring in new players and maintain a level of activity that ensures players are able to get the most out of Darwin Project, we've decided to make it more accessible by removing the price tag.
"We're aware that it's a big change, and we want to reiterate that we're remaining true to Darwin Project's vision as we move forward."
Alongside the cosmetics being given to founding players, 200 more will be made available as Scavengers looks at other ways of monetising the game, which is out now on PC and Xbox One (where it remains a paid-for title).