Following the report yesterday that said Battleborn is going free-to-play within the next couple of months, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford went on Twitter to deny the claims:
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.
Gearbox does have plans to issue a free trial version of Battleborn, but it likely won’t be out anytime soon:
We have some unannounced plans to do a trial version of the game that would be free and from which retail can be purchased along with DLC.
Free trial plans are not firm yet – months away. Expect great continued support and awesome line up of DLC. I do not expect we’ll have our details sorted or be ready to talk about it until we’re well past the DLC – months away at best.
Pitchford then responded to numerous comments surrounding Battleborn, including one that suggested it would be free-to-start. “More like traditional demo, but integrated so you can keep your progress if you choose to become a customer,” he replied. As for what the trial might include, Pitchford said, “Not sure yet (plans are not firm), but it looks like the trial will be more like 10% of the content that is in the retail game.”
Part of the reason a free trial could happen is because the PC numbers for Battleborn are fairly low:
“We’re team [sic] is looking at motivators to increase PC player base. Maybe a free trial will help. DLC should help, too.”
“Consoles are healthy, but we need to do something there [on PC]. Blizzard is strong on PC for sure!”
Ultimately, Pitchford says everything’s in the planning stages right now for a free trial and further details should arrive in a few months.
