In much the same way that there has been a deluge of mixed messages about the Xbox One, there has also been a great deal of confusion surrounding the pricing structure for Double Helix’s Killer Instinct reboot. Today, Microsoft has officially cleared things up in a new post on Xbox.com, revealing exactly how the “free to download” fighter is being sold.
As previously announced, players will be able to download Killer Instinct for free on the Xbox One and access all of the game’s modes using a single free playable character (Jago). Additional characters will then become available for purchase “starting” at $4.99 / £3.99 / €4.99 each.
When the game is released there will only be six playable characters (Jago, Sabrewulf, Glacius, and Thunder are the only fighters announced so far) — two more are being planned for post-launch DLC. If each character is purchased separately this would bring Killer Instinct‘s total cost to $39.92.
To reduce that cost, Microsoft has two bundle packs that provide extra value to players who are planning to buy the full roster of fighters:
- The Combo Breaker Pack includes the first 8 characters (“6 at launch, plus 2 characters before their official post-launch release”) for $19.99 / £16.99 / €19.99.
- The Ultra Edition includes; the first 8 characters “(6 at launch, plus 2 characters before their official post-launch release)”, Character accessory packs, Character costumes, and the original Killer Instinct arcade game for $39.99 / £34.99 / €39.99.
All things considered, this is not a horrible way to release Killer Instinct and it could provide a huge value to players who only want to use a couple of fighters. The biggest downside that I can see is that the title will only launch with six characters. That is an extremely small roster, that will turn away many prospective players.
We’ll keep you posted when we hear more.