Battle Royale game Darwin Project goes Free-to-Play for Xbox One players

Today marks the day Xbox One users will have the chance to play Darwin Project for free on their consoles. The third-preson multiplayer battle royale game previously launched on the Xbox One through the Xbox Game Preview program. Users who bought Darwin project through that will receive a Founder’s Pack consisting of cosmetic items.

Creative Director Simon Darveau from Scavengers Studios announced the good news on Xbox Wire that their popular title Darwin Project is now available for free to all players on the Xbox One. The decision to transition the game model from regular one-time purchase into free-to-play comes only a few months after Darwin Project was released on the Xbox Game Preview. This is Microsoft’s take on the Early Access type of game releases many Steam users have grown accustomed to.

On Steam, Darwin Project is already a free-to-play title, so it makes sense that the title follows suit on the Xbox One. It’s still weird that the independent developer behind it, didn’t launch it initially as free-to-play but rather sold it. If you are one of the early buyers, Scavengers Studio has some goodies for you.

While players won’t be getting their money back, the many cosmetic items should be a welcome gift nonetheless. Indeed, for avid players of these type of multiplayer games, cosmetic items might even be better. Genre peers PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and Fortnite are the best examples for how cosmetic items which don’t change the gameplay, can still be a important part of the gameplay experience.

Darwin Project is a colorful multiplayer battle royale game which is set in snowy post-apocalyptic Canada. As part of an experiment, 10 participants are pit to survive both the harsh environment and each other, to stay the last man standing. In a unique twist, an eleventh player takes the role of the Show Director who can influence the match with special abilities like storms, nukes and zone closures.

While the Darwin Project is free-to-play, you will still need Xbox Live Gold to be able to play it.