It isn’t uncommon for a game to go from premium (that weird new term for things which cost money) to free-to-play. It’s almost an inevitability for all but the biggest MMOs to launch with a price tag and then, as a game’s novelty fades, switch to a free-to-play model to attract new players. It’s much rarer to see a game go from F2P to premium, but that’s exactly what Human Element, is doing.
For some background, Human Element is the first game from Robotoki, the indie game studio founded by former Call of Duty developer Robert Bowling. The game is the latest in a long series of zombie apocalypse starvation simulators, but this one has a dash of ARG, thanks to an accompanying mobile app that will track players using Google Maps and reward them with supplies. It was supposed to be free to play, but Bowling recently told Gamasutra that “As the game evolved we realized that the elements that make Human Element the most fun would be hindered by keeping it a free-to-play experience.” This could mean that Human Element wanted to get a little more ambitious than free to play often allows. It’s also possible that Robotoki has developed a really fun way to pay them money. Pneumatic cannon? Slingshot?
Going premium also cost Human Element its publisher, Nexon, but Bowling said that Robotoki has already lined up a new one, and plans to officially announce the partnership next month. Human Element is still a ways off and queued for a November 2015 release.