14 DAY TRIAL // Don't Starve Together, the standalone multiplayer expansion for Klei Entertainment's hit survival game Dont' Starve, is headed to Steam Early Access on December 15.
The developer has announced that Don't Starve Together is being released as a paid-for expansion, taking back its original intent to make it available as a free update.
However, the expansion will be shipped as part of The Frontier Pack, including a copy of the original video game and two copies of Don't Starve Together, with Early Access to its beta.
This will enable those who want to try out the game's multiplayer to give a key to a friend, but the expansion will also be available as a standalone purchase for owners of the base game, going for $5 / €5, while the entire pack will go for $20 / €20.
Developer Klei Entertainment explains the decision in its latest blog entry, pointing out to the fact that gamers were already selling closed beta keys to the add-on, and stating that it wanted to create an official channel for those clearly interested in enjoying Don't Starve together.
The decision to create The Frontier Pack was meant to add more value to the expansion, once it was decided that it would not be a free release anymore.
People don't like to starve
Klei has confessed that, once sign-ups for the beta were opened up in September, the company was overwhelmed with the demand, receiving no less than 80k registrations in just a couple of days.
The developer has been steadily sending out beta keys ever since, but it was pretty clear that many more gamers wanted to get in than the company could send codes, and the decision to create an official valve was made.
People started to try and buy keys on the Internet, and the need to create a commercial channel for entry in the multiplayer beta was evident, hence The Frontier Pack.
You can see how Don't Starve Together looks in action in the video below, highlighting what to do in order to increase your chances of survival in the wild.
Don't Starve was a pretty big hit for Klei Entertainment, due to its engaging mechanics and unique art style, as well as the healthy dose of humor.
In case you have questions regarding the Don't Starve Together beta, you can pay the official FAQ thread on the Klei Entertainment forums a visit.
The company's latest video game project, Invisible, Inc., is a turn-based tactics spy thriller set for release sometime in 2015.
