Overwatch rival Battleborn will reportedly become free-to-play on November. It is a known fact that Overwatch has clearly captured the hero shooter market and Battleborn developers are thinking of ways to catch up.
Battleborn Against Overwatch
Battleborn and Overwatch are both hero shooter games that were launched at almost the same time. Unfortunately, most of the market went with Overwatch. Battleborn was originally sold for $60 but it's now selling for as low as $20.
However, there is a rumor that Battleborn developer Gearbox really wanted the game to be free-to-play. It was game publisher 2K that insisted in putting a price tag on the game, according to Kotaku. Had Battleborn been free from the start, it may have dominated the market and not rival Overwatch.
Gearbox has continued to add fresh contents to Battleborn such as additional heroes and maps. Unlike Overwatch, Battleborn has a single player campaign mode.
Free-To-Play Concept For Hero Shooter Game
Paladins: Champions of the Realm is another hero shooter game that has been free-to-play from the start. Although not yet as popular as Overwatch, the game managed to gather far more players than Battleborn. This is possibly the reason why Gearbox is willing to implement the F2P concept in Battleborn reportedly on November.
Gearbox Denies F2P Rumor But...
Gearbox head Randy Pitchford posted a tweet denying that Battleborn will become free-to-play. But he posted a second tweet saying that the game while still for sale will soon have a free trial version. An anonymous insider has clarified that Battleborn's multiplayer mode will be free. However, the single campaign mode and the DLC packs are the ones for sale.
Battleborn players can also either get heroes for free or buy one. Heroes may also be rotated like in the League of Legends. These rumors are still unsubstantiated and will probably take several more months before it can be confirmed or debunked.
