Clicker Heroes 2, an upcoming idle clicker game developed & published by Playsaurus, will be ditching the free-to-play model in favor of a regular one-time payment release according to a page on the game's official website.
For those not familiar with the genre, idle clicker games involve players doing a lot of clicking (and not much else). The genre originally began through completely free-to-play titles like Cookie Clicker before evolving into titles with monetization options like 10 Billion Wives (Android, iOS), AdVenture Capitalist, and the original Clicker Heroes. Developer Playsaurus seems keen on bucking the free-to-play trend with their upcoming sequel by going for a flat cost compared to their contemporaries in the genre, A teaser trailer was released in September 2017 which should give you an idea of what you can expect from the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrAm55GbGlo
Playsaurus has detailed their reasoning for the change in two sections addressing the ethics of free-to-play games and game design. When it comes to the ethics of a free-to-play model, the developers are concerned that some of the players who have spent thousands of dollars on the first game may have been addicted and unable to live with making such a financial decision. While they've no problem with a wealthy person dropping a few thousand dollars on a frivolity that they can well afford, the concern is that a person vulnerable to addiction may have spent more than they can afford. These concerns are one of the reasons why Playsaurus has a full refund policy available for the first game in the series, noting that it only costs them payment processing fees to send the money back.
As for the game design reasons, having free-to-play elements in a game can make balancing a tricky prospect. A developer might want to be careful with nerfing an overpowered item that players had just spent money on or making changes that would affect the progression in a way that might negatively impact a player's past purchasing decisions. They've stated that they have had to deal with these exact issues in the first Clicker Heroes game and consider it a "Frankenstein" in terms of balance and development. Despite the changes forthcoming to the sequel, the first game will remain as-is. Playsaurus notes that most players don't seem to have had any problems with the way they've designed things and any players who do have issues or concerns with their purchases can take advantage of their refund policy.
As such, Clicker Heroes 2 will be retailing for a flat $29.99 when it releases sometime in 2018. The game is planned to have mod support, and pre-orders will qualify for a refund for up to a year after the initial purchase. You can add Clicker Heroes 2 to your Steam wishlist by visiting its Steam Store page, and you can hop into the first game on Steam right now.
What do you think of Clicker Heroes 2 doing away with the free-to-play model? Do you think a clicker game can have a successful release for a flat price? Let us know in the comments below!
