14 DAY TRIAL // Valve has confirmed that its upcoming Dota 2 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) title will be completely free-to-play, although users will be able to customize their heroes with different gear that can be sold via the in-game store, just like in Team Fortress 2. What’s more, add-ons for the game can also be developed and distributed through the Steam Workshop service.
Dota 2 is one of Valve’s big releases this year, alongside Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, so the studio wants to make sure that players will be thrilled with the multiplayer experience before its actual launch later this year.
After hinting and teasing that the game might be free-to-play, the studio has now confirmed that gamers can experience it without paying a single cent.
Money will be extracted from the in-game store, where Valve, as well as players can sell customizable items, just like in Team Fortress 2. However, the studio has emphasized that these items are just cosmetic and won’t offer advantages in the game.
“Today we’re announcing that Dota 2 will be free to play, and contain an in-game store where you’ll be able to buy fancy gear to customize your heroes. We wanted to address the two most common concerns right away: Dota 2 will not be a pay-to-win game. All the items in the store are cosmetic, and don’t affect gameplay. All of the heroes will be available free of charge. We believe restricting player access to heroes could be destructive to game design, so it’s something we plan to avoid.”
Besides the in-game store, players will be able to download add-ons and new content for the game via the Steam Workshop. From here, Valve can pick potential new features for the game, just like it’s doing with Team Fortress 2, and will pay users for their ideas.
“Today we’re also announcing that Dota 2 is now part of the Steam Workshop. If you’re not familiar with the Steam Workshop, it’s a place where fans can upload content they’ve created for a game, and other players can vote and comment on it. The development team then takes those uploads and releases them as official parts of the game itself, and the original fan creator gets a slice of the sales from the in-game store.”
Overall, Dota 2 is practically using the same successful system as Team Fortress 2 and, given the popularity of the online shooter, it’s quite a good idea.