Faeria Tries Hand at Buy-to-Play Model Opposed to Free-to-Play Roots

Developer Abrakam returned to the drawing boards of its digital collectible card battler, Faeria, which released as a free-to-play game on PC-via Steam in 2017. The indie studio has made the choice to relaunch the game as a paid title for $24.99 with the option to purchase the game with both DLC packs for $39.72.

Evidentally, this paid release will guarantee new players “fast and fair access to all original cards from the game’s Classic Edition”, while existing players will be able to continue their collecting for no additional fee.

Additionally, the deck expansion Fall of Everlife DLC will also be released, which adds 40 cards every two months in order to keep the game fresh.

In a statement released by Abrakam’s Chief Creative Officer, Jean-Michel Vilain, “We discovered that it is almost impossible to have fair competitive gameplay in Faeria’s free to play model – and we’ve also observed that people are growing weary of the F2P model, and feel it’s time for us to try to monetise digital card games differently.”

“The new Buy2Play version of Faeria gives you access to all cards, unlocked in less than 100 hours of play. This ensures that competitive play is balanced, as nobody can buy to win. We’re also introducing collectible Lore Pages, which showcase the game’s superb artwork supported by evocative text. And, most importantly, we will update Faeria on a regular basis with new cards and features. Buy once, play forever!”

This seems to be a model that free-to-play games are taking, Clicker Heroes 2 is another example, which launched it’s beta earlier this week. Studios seem to be finding more success in offering their game as a paid title then the aging systems of players purchasing in-game currency in order to progress their games.

You can check out the new trailer below: