After a successful Kickstarter, Hinterland Games released The Long Dark via Early Access in 2014, reaching version 2017 in 1.0. It continued to receive free updates for both the episodic story mode and the survival mode, but as developer Raphael van Lierop explained in this month's dev diary that will change.
While previously The Long Dark's survival mode updates had to be limited in scope due to both modes being interconnected, the team has been working to separate them since the release of the fourth episode. This work is now complete and makes it possible to make more significant additions to the survival mode.
Van Lierop said, “We conducted a community survey last year. We asked where you would like us to put our focus in the future of The Long Dark. Along with other helpful feedback, we discovered that about 80% of you wanted us to start producing DLC for Survival Mode.”
The first paid update for Long Dark will be released later this year, as Van Lierop explains that the DLC looks like a season ticket: Throughout this DLC, buyers will get “new regions, new challenges, new mechanics, etc. They will receive a combination of content and game system updates, including "general improvements and updates to core systems in the game".
Those who do not choose to purchase season tickets will have access to updates that will be repackaged as three or four separate paid DLCs after the campaign ends. Free updates will also continue. “These updates will generally be smaller,” explains Van Lierop.
At the same time, Van Lierop is leaving his role as project leader on The Long Dark. Katie Sorrell, chief designer of the story segments and designer of the new regions added from Pleasant Valley onwards, will take the lead.
Anyone who owns The Long Dark will continue to get the fifth episode for free when it's finished, and paid updates are scheduled to launch in the second half of 2022.
Kaynak