REPO dev says "there are no plans to make the game free-to-play" because "we don't want to add microtransactions or have cosmetics that you buy"

REPO isn't exactly pricey as it stands, but developer semiwork doesn't have any intention of making the co-op horror hit free-to-play, either. Why? Because the studio doesn't want to add microtransactions.

"There are no plans to make the game free-to-play, as we don't want to add microtransactions or have cosmetics that you buy with real money," semiwork's Pontus Sundström says in a new dev Q&A video. "Things like cosmetics, you'll get for free by just simply playing the game – after buying the game initially, of course."

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Currently, REPO is just $10 in Early Access on the Steam store, which isn't exactly a high barrier to entry as it stands. The devs "plan to do a price raise when 1.0 releases," which is supposed to happen after "around 6 to 12 months" in Early Access, but I doubt this is suddenly going to become a $70 or $80 premium title.

Still, given REPO's viral popularity among streamers and in short-form video clips, semiwork could certainly entice a few more players in by going free-to-play. But the studio's devotion to avoid even the most gently predatory monetization tracks that characterize free-to-play gaming is admirable.

And it's not as if the studio is suffering as it stands, as REPO has been a runaway success. The studio recently explained that they pivoted to co-op horror after running out of money since their last game "hadn't been successful enough," and that gamble has clearly been paying off.

A REPO ripoff called REPO Horror is on the Nintendo eShop, and it has the gall to list a Switch 2 file size as if it won't be nuked from orbit by June.