These days it’s rare to see an online game without live service monetization built in, let alone one that gets rid of that stuff. But that’s what it’s all about subnautica developer Behind moonbreaker are in. Recently launched into Early Access on Steam, the tabletop RPG is throwing away both its paid premium currency and loot boxes, and refunding players who’ve already bought in. Whether the game will remain monetization-free after its full release is another question.
“Early Access is a time for us to experiment and improve the game, and monetization in its current form impacted that goal,” said Unknown Worlds Entertainment, the studio behind it moonbreaker, posted on his blog yesterday (above RPS). “So we’re removing it to focus on making the best game possible before we leave Early Access.”
Revealed during Gamescom 2022Director Charlie Cleveland described moonbreaker inspired as a “digital miniature game”. Guardians of the Galaxy and Firefly. Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson (best known for the Mistborn series) was made to write, and the D&D-inspired strategy combat looked like an intriguing mix Hearthstone and XCOM. Exalted comparisons aside, players were largely receptive to the game’s mechanics and lore while slamming the microtransactions.
moonbreaker costs $30, with a “Founder’s Pack” increasing it to $50. While this includes enough booster boxes for players to unlock most of the game’s units, PvE matches were previously locked behind premium currency, meaning players would have to pay or grind to play solo. And as a miniatures game, much of the fantasy revolves around the cosmetic customization of units, which also costs money. Most of the negative reviews on the Steam site all cited free-to-play monetization of a paid game as their biggest problem.
Pulsars, the game’s paid currency, are now disappearing, as are the paid booster boxes. Players’ purchases will be refunded and all units will be automatically unlocked at the start of each new season. “To celebrate this business model change, tomorrow I’ll be buying the base game for some friends,” one player wrote on Discord after the announcement. “Thank you for listening to the community feedback and being willing to make big (potentially scary) changes so early in development.”
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A gift for literally everyone.
Gifts under $20, $10 and even $5. It’s Wish, the catch-all shop for all of the above.
That’s what Early Access is for, and it’s good to see moonbreaker not only withdrawing free-to-play monetization, but also refunding players. That could change in the future, with some players suggesting that Unknown Worlds could make the game free-to-play until launch and bring back some form of live-service microtransactions. At least in the meantime, players can enjoy the evolving TTRPG without all the other bullshit. It might even help moonbreaker Win back some of the players who dropped out shortly after the start of Early Access.
