Battleborn goes free-to-play in all but name

Following the almighty fuss last year over claims that Battleborn was going free-to-play, Battleborn has gone free-to-play.

Except developer Gearbox isn’t calling it that. Instead, the studio is doggedly referring to it as a free trial”, despite that fact that the model sounds exactly like free-to-play.

Starting today players can experience unlimited competitive multiplayer for FREE with the Battleborn Free Trial,” the official site says. Players can now pick up Battleborn as a free downloadable experience that grants UNLIMITED access to all competitive multiplayer gameplay modes and maps, without any time limits or level caps.

To keep things fresh, there is a weekly rotation of six heroes from the roster of 30 total heroes. Progress with each hero and player account progression is also permanent, so when the same character comes back around players can pick them up where they left off.”

In September it was reported that plans were in place for Battleborn to make the switch to F2P, but Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford at the time was having none of it. And again now, the outspoken developer is insistent that this is not a F2P model.

The business model for this game is retail with DLC, not F2P. I have no issue with F2P, but do care about setting correct expectations.

— Randy Pitchford (@DuvalMagic) June 6, 2017

Gearbox may be sticking to this line in the hope of encouraging players to pay to upgrade to the full version and unlock all the heroes, rather than doing so with the in-game currency.

Founder Status has also been bestowed on those who previously paid for the game. They now get a range of bonus’ including some in-game currency, loot packs, skins and gear.