Update: Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford has denied the claims that Battleborn is going free-to-play:
I was just told about a reckless story about Battleborn going F2P that is false. There are no plans to convert Battleborn free to play.
— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) September 29, 2016
Original Story: Following a disappointing launch, it appears Battleborn will follow in Evolve’s footsteps and go free-to-play, a new report from Kotaku says. According to a person familiar with plans for Battleborn, it could go F2P within the next couple of months, following an announcement in mid-November (the exact timing is subject to change).
The anonymous source adds that developer Gearbox Software wanted Battleborn to be free-to-play from the very beginning, but publisher 2K wanted to sell it as a a $60 boxed title. If Battleborn does go F2P, the source says current players will likely receive some sort of reward, but nothing’s been finalized yet.
Last month, 2K parent company Take-Two said they aren’t counting Battleborn out yet, and they think “there remains an opportunity to grow the audience for this unique experience over time.”
Evolve’s shift to free-to-play proved to be a success, raising its concurrent player total by 25,000. Evolve is still paid on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but there are plans to introduce the F2P version in the future.
Kotaku’s source also revealed that Gearbox plans to publish a Bulletstorm remaster, which was rated earlier today in Brazil.
Back in July, industry tracking firm SuperData said they expected Battleborn to go free-to-play this year, following its poor sales performance.
[Source: Kotaku]
