Microsoft: "Killer Instinct is not free-to-play, is the world’s most generous demo"

Killer Instinct is not a free-to-play game, a key Microsoft exec has argued.

That goes against what we’d all presumed following the game’s E3 reveal. Indeed, the fact that it is free to download with premium characters available to purchase certainly seems a bit ‘free-to-play’-ey.

Not so, creative director of first-party published Xbox One games Ken Lobb told Eurogamer.

"No, it’s not free-to-play,” he argued. "What is free-to-play? It’s a thing you really can’t ever own at all. Day one, if you want to buy our game, buy it. You own it. There’s no grind for little coins that unlock things later. None of that.

"The free part is, day one, you can download Jago for free and you get the whole game with Jago. Then if you decide you like Thunder for example, you can buy Thunder for five bucks or equivalent. Maybe that’s all you want, so why should you have to pay forty bucks? Just pay five and then you have Thunder.

"If you buy the $40 pack, there are a couple of other little things you’ll be able to buy, but you’re done. It’s not like there’s some buy coins to unlock thing. That’s why I’ve always said this is not a free-to-play game.

"I like to call it, we’ve just made the world’s most generous demo. And if you want to buy the game as a bunch of little premium DLCs, go ahead. But if you want to cherry pick your favourite five or six out of the first few years, go ahead, and you’ve paid fifteen, twenty, twenty five dollars, right? Instead of having to buy two full retail price things that don’t even play together."

The main game, including one character Jago, is free to download with additional characters available for 3.99 each. You can get all six launch characters and two future DLC characters for 16.99 or alternatively pay 34.99 for the Ultra Edition that throws in some early access, costumes, accessory packs and the original Killer Instinct game.