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Maintaining a live-service game is costly, and it's especially tricky for developers on the independent side. Hence, the devs behind free multiplayer platformer eWorlds have decided they need to add a price tag to keep the release operational.
Since fully coming out in October 2024, eWorlds has been the low, low cost of free. Sadly, such a model isn't keeping the lights on as easily, and developer GGTech Studios is now transitioning to making it a premium product, where copies will cost $3.99.
"Since launch, we have loved seeing you play, explore, and enjoy the multiplayer experience," the company says in the announcement.
"However, as time goes on, keeping the servers active indefinitely requires covering costs that the current free format does not allow us to offset," it states. Thus, starting April 16, the new price point will be introduced for any new players.
Before then? You can still get it for absolutely nothing, giving a week's grace period for anyone who was thinking about jumping, or who simply wants the option of playing without having to hand over any amount of money. According to GGTech Studios, this income is specifically for "covering server costs and ensuring the multiplayer matches stay operational."
The player count for eWorlds hasn't been huge, the last recorded high being 695 according to SteamDB. Time will tell if the community remains consistent enough to futureproof the project more solidly.
The statement ends by pointing out something obvious but necessary, which is that this is really for the continued survival and growth of the game. "We know that transitioning from a free to a premium model is a significant change, but we consider it necessary to sustain eWorlds' servers in the long term," the devs state.
