Evolve is evolving

The creators of Left 4 Dead have revamped their 4 vs. 1 shooter so that it’s now free-to-play, with the new PC version going live today.

Despite showing early promise online shooter Evolve was not a hit when it was first released last February. Although there were serious concerns about its longevity and lack of content, a lot of the blame for this was put on its divisive pre-order and DLC promotions.

The free-to-play model is meant to circumvent this issue, with Turtle Rock Studios co-founders Chris Ashton and Phil Robb making a lengthy post about their plans on the official forums.



‘When Evolve launched, the reception wasn’t what we expected. Sure, there were some good reviews. There were also bad reviews. Yes, there was excitement. There was also disappointment – for players and for us’, reads the post.


‘The DLC s***storm hit full force and washed away people’s enthusiasm, dragging us further and further from that first magical pick-up-and-play experience.’

‘We want that magic back and we aim to make it happen. We’ve made a lot of changes, improvements and additions to Evolve over the past year and we’ve got a lot more coming. In short, we’re giving this game a vigorous overhaul!’

The changes listed include the following, with the beta of the free-to-play version expected to go live on Steam today. Free-to-play console versions will follow if the game is successful on PC.

• We’re reworking the hunter classes to make the team less reliant on having experienced trappers and medics.

• We’re making improvements to the maps and UI.

• We’re improving load times, overall performance, and getting you into the game faster.

• We’re focusing on improving stability and fixing bugs.

• We’re completely reworking our progression system and tutorials.

• We’re adding more customization options.

Those that own the original version of the game and its DLC will be given ‘Founder’ status in the new one and will not lose any of their content.

‘As long as we work on Evolve, we will show our appreciation for our committed fans and early adopters with gifts, rewards, and special access. Why? Because you believed like we did, and we will never forget that’, claims Turtle Rock.

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