Disney Dreamlight Valley ditches free-to-play plan at the last minute, will launch in December as a premium game

pcgamer.com:

Less than two months ahead of Disney Dreamight Valley's full release, developer Gameloft has announced that it won't be a free-to-play game after all. Instead, the studio said that based on its «learnings» from a year in early access, «we've made the decision to remain a paid game for the foreseeable future.»

Players eager to jump into Disney Dreamlight Valley ahead of release were required to purchase a «founders pack» which granted entry into the early access version of the game along with various exclusive cosmetics. It's a not-uncommon way for game studios to monetize projects ahead of release by essentially charging excited fans to help them test their games: Fortnite, Heroes of the Storm, Dying Light: Bad Blood, Dauntless, and others have all offered similar programs in the past.

«By purchasing the Founder's Pack and being one of the first players, you'll interact with the game team and help us make a better game,» Gameloft explained in the early access FAQ on Steam. «As Founders, you'll experience the game first and will be rewarded with tons of Founder-exclusive items that will not be available later on (after early access).

»After early access, Disney Dreamlight Valley will include an in-game store filled with cosmetic items to customize your character and House. The game features no monetization mechanisms such as a paid Energy system or gameplay time skipper. Paid content is limited to cosmetic or paid game extensions, which will be available in the future."

Those founders packs will remain available until Disney Dreamlight Valley launches, but instead of moving to a free-to-play model as planned, there will be three new, paid editions—the base game, the Cozy Edition, and the Gold Edition—and a separate