Catch 22: Homeworld: Shipbreakers no longer Free-to-Play

Michael Dunaway
By Michael Dunaway, News Editor Posted:
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When Gearbox granted the Homeworld IP to developer Blackbird Interactive they apparently did more than just update the titles name, they fundamentally altered how the game itself would be released. With the added funding for Shipbreakers, Blackbird is heading for a full commercial release of the game and will no longer be Free-to-Play. The news came via a response from Randy Pitchford, President of Gearbox, to a fan on Twitter saying:

"With our investment, Homeworld Shipbreakers can be a proper commercial release. No need for F2P.”

No news on what effect this will have on players who opted to purchase the fairly expensive pre-release packs which contained many items geared towards the Free-to-Play model. An unfortunate turn of events for free-to-play fans awaiting such a promising new title. Would you still be willing to purchase Homeworld: Shipbreakers?

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About the Author

Michael Dunaway
Michael Dunaway, News Editor

Michael Dunaway has been part of the MMOBomb team for years and has covered practically every major Free-to-Play MMO title since 2009.

More Stories by Michael Dunaway

Discussion (12)

Anonymous 10 years ago
Wait what?

They have more money now, so shouldn't it be the other way around if anything? Maybe it's just me but I fail to see how a buy 2 own or subscription payment model would cost more to operate than a F2P model since the F2P requires the publisher to invest alot more in the beginning until people start buying stuff from cash shops.

Seems like a lie to me.

Technoman 10 years ago
Meh....

LordHikaru 10 years ago
Okay. So its buy to play now? Or is there a subscription as well?

Reinou 10 years ago
Guess I'm not going to bother then.

Cyberpunk 10 years ago
that sucks

Akshansh 10 years ago
Well that my opinion you may not like it . But if it was originally announced as a free to play and later converted to pay to play than it is wrong . It is cheating. Though if it was just rumoured that it was free to play and they didnt claim it free to play officially than its ok .

hagegAU 10 years ago
Dismounted.

Aqua10 10 years ago
Well it's not really surprising. F2P is a good model for self published games by smaller studios because it can start generating revenue quickly which in turn can fuel the game's continuing development. That's why we often see cash shops already accessible during the beta stage.

Now that Blackbird got some better funding and with Gearbox backing them up it might be easier for them to go with the more familiar route of a traditionally released title. The F2P market may be lucrative but it's still developing and I think many game designers are still not very used to it, especially when it comes to the monetization model.

Personally I'm still very interested in the game though, I loved the Homeworld games.

View 1 reply
ao 10 years ago
MOUNTED


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