The rather large gamble that Turtle Rock Studios’ made with their 4v1 shooter Evolve appears to have paid off, judging by recent player numbers. The studio confirmed last week that the multiplayer title – after experiencing a lull in active players – was going free-to-play on PC effective immediately by way of a beta.
In the few days that have passed since, PC Gamer has reported that the launch of so-called ‘Evolve Stage 2’ has resulted in a gigantic surge in player numbers, having recorded a peak of 40,445 Steam users – a far cry from the meagre 157 players per day recorded previously.
Of course, it’s still very early days, but the early signs certainly look positive. Despite enjoying generally positive reviews when it launched in 2015, enthusiasm for Evolve quickly tapered off when it became apparent that the base game lacked content, with all add-ons locked behind a paywall.
This isn’t the first time a developer has opted to completely eradicate a pre-existing payment model in favor of offering their product for free, but the decision is traditionally seen as one confined to MMOs like The Old Republic and Lord of The Rings Online.
Tell us, have you been indulging in a spot of Evolve on Steam over the last weekend? Let us know your thoughts on the u-turn in the comments section below.