A cryptic countdown timer went up on the Evolve website on July 6, shortly before the game was pulled for sale from the Steam Marketplace. Evolve, developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by 2K Games, had been on the Steam Marketplace since its release in 2015.
Described as an "asymmetrical multi-player shooter", Evolve pitted players against each other as either the Monster, or one of four unique roles on the team hunting it down. Game play is segregated into three stages, with the Monster becoming harder to hunt down in each subsequent stage. You can read more about our reviewer's experiences with Evolve in these articles.
Readers who are familiar with Evolve will also recognize the title from statements by the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of 2K Games, in regards to the games controversial downloadable content policy.
Turtle Rock Studios has released an official statement regarding the removal of Evolve from the Steam Marketplace. They plan on completely overhauling the game - this includes improving maps and UI, reworking certain classes to improve balance, improving load times and performance issues, and giving players more access to customization options. Most importantly, Evolve will be free-to-play as of July 7, as part of the development teams commitment to player feedback.
Players who already owned Evolve on Steam will be given a special "Founder" status, which will allow them access to downloadable content that they already owned in the original release, as well as gifts, rewards, and special access from the development team.
Neither Turtle Rock Studios nor 2K Games have given a timeline for when these changes will go into effect, or if Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners can expect similar changes for their versions of the title.
Stay tuned to TechRaptor for developing information regarding Evolve and its new Beta development period.
What are your thoughts on tomorrow's announcement? Any ideas why Evolve was removed from the Steam Marketplace? Let us know in the comment section below!
