Human Element ditches free-to-play, losing publishing partner in the process

Indie studio Robotoki’s upcoming title Human Element has decided to ditch free-to-play in favour of becoming a premium product.

Gamasutra reports that, as a result, the game will no longer be published by Nexon.

"Nexon and Robotoki have come to a mutual decision to end their publishing agreement for the game Human Element," a Nexon America representative said. "As development of the project progressed the direction of the game naturally evolved, and it no longer aligns with the Nexon portfolio."

Robotoki boss Robert Bowling, however, says that a new publisher has already been found.

"As the game evolved we realized that the elements that make Human Element the most fun would be hindered by keeping it a free-to-play experience," he explained.

"Therefore, we made the decision to switch to a premium experience for our players; which also meant that working with the premier publisher in free-to-play was no longer the best partnership fit for the game we were creating."

Robotoki was formed by Bowling in April 2012, a month after he quit his role as Infinity Ward’s creative strategist.