Fall Guys going free-to-play, adding paid Season Pass and in-game currency
Huge changes are ahead for those adorable Fall Guys.
Fall Guys will become a free-to-play game next month, Mediatonic and Epic Games have announced, with a new in-game currency being added at the same time.
If you've been following along with the story of this Takeshi's Castle-inspired comedic multiplayer game, this news may not come as a massive surprise.
After all, when Fall Guys originally launched on PlayStation and PC in August 2020, the developers gave the game away for 'free' to existing PS Plus members for a limited time (PC players did have to pay upfront, though.)
Many saw this as a masterstroke, with the pool of PS Plus subscribers ensuring that Fall Guys had a built-in audience from the moment it went live. And now, as the game reaches other platforms, it makes sense to give players on all systems a free way to play the game.
The exact date on which Fall Guys goes free-to-play will be 21st June 2022. On that same day, the Xbox and Nintendo Switch versions of the game will launch into the world, and players on all platforms will be able to jump into the game without spending a penny upfront.
As an added bonus, we've learned that you won't need a PS Plus, Xbox Live or Switch Online account to join in with the online fun. It really will be free to download and start playing!
Of course, games need to make money in order for the developers to keep the lights on, and so the addition of a new in-game currency also makes perfect sense from a business standpoint.
The new currency is called Show-Bucks, and players will be able to use these in-game monies to pay for the new Season Pass, which is being introduced at the same time.
This new premium Season Pass system will not replace the free progression path that was in the game already, but has rather been described as a "supercharged" version of it. The free path will still exist as an alternative.
The first Season Pass will kick off on 21st June as well, with that summer day shaping up to be a huge moment for the game and the loyal community of Fall Guys fans.
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Speaking of fans, existing Fall Guys players – as in, those who predate the free-to-play transition – will be rewarded for their loyalty with a Legacy Pack. This will include "a bunch of spangly cosmetic items" and free access to the first Season Pass (which you'd otherwise need to pay for).
Last year, Epic Games (the makers of Fortnite) acquired Mediatonic (the makers of Fall Guys), and this new business model certainly seems to be inspired by the successes of Fortnite and other massive online games.
In summary: from 21st June, you'll be able to play Fall Guys for free on any platform, with crossplay and cross-progression being enabled between said platforms, and you'll also continue to get the free progression path in the game. Whether you want to spend real money to get some Show-Bucks and buy the paid-for Season Pass is totally up to you.
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Authors
Rob Leane is the Gaming Editor at Radio Times, overseeing our coverage of the biggest games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile and VR. Rob works across our website, social media accounts and video channels, as well as producing our weekly gaming newsletter. He has previously worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional and Dennis Publishing.
