[2021] Make it free to play

We will go free to play when the game is ready for it. I see you saying there is 100 different answers but the answer is always the same: It's missing features we want to be ready before that happens, including the stability of the game.

If we went F2P now, there would be a surge of players in the short term, sure, but that's not what we want.

We still need a bot mode and interactive tutorial for new player onboarding instead of just dropping them straight into PVP. This is essential and something we are actively working hard on. This could be the best game ever made, 0 bugs, perfect balance, 1000 heroes covering every single play style imaginable, but if you force new players into a real game and they get dunked on from the get go, they will not want to keep playing.

Mastery system and other player retention incentives are also needed to keep players engaged.

Another thing is making sure we have finalized our content release pipeline to make sure the game is releasing a steady flow of content at a sustainable rate to keep the lights on when there is no longer a buy in price.

Replay system. This one is much more of a wishlist item for full release but its not the be all end all, even though it is coming. The things above are much more important, including my final point;

Ironing out bugs and getting the game into the most stable state possible. This one is an ongoing battle as we add more heroes / items / features etc for the the people currently playing but we are improving constantly with way more optimizations in the works as I speak.

This game is a true Early Access title. Everyone that paid to play the game early did so with this knowledge going into it and there are plenty of people waiting for full release for this exact reason. They want a full game, with the least amount of bugs possible with features they would come to expect from a MOBA title. You have to understand if the playerbase is low now, going free to play is NOT going to change the outcome as we will end up in this situation again, it would change nothing for the longevity of the game, only boost short term numbers.

The playerbase right now is not our top priority as we have said plenty of times because we know full well we dont have the things mentioned above in place to keep players retained. Once we do have those things and the game releases fully, THEN player numbers become way more important. If we have things in place to keep players playing but they are still leaving? Then we have a problem, but right now we dont have those things and we know that.

That's not to say the current playerbase isn't important. They are extremely valued and a vital part in making the goals above obtainable at a faster rate because there is only so much a closed testing environment can achieve. Balance is also something we can continue to work on from real game environments with real players at varied skill levels. Not only that but there are people that very much like being a staple in something actively in development.

If I woke up tomorrow and 0 people were playing Fault, development would not end. Early Access is not a measurement of the success of the game, full release is. And we want to make sure that is in the best state possible. We are not there yet, but we are striving to reach that goal every single day. It might not seem it now, but I promise you this is in the absolute best interest for the games long term lifespan so we can continue to develop this game we all so passionately love to make.