Airship Syndicate has announced an ambitious overhaul for its ARPG, Wayfinder. In an update set for June, the game will transition from a live service game, remove all microtransactions, and become a premium, pay once title, with current and future content included.
The Echoes update is coming June 11th, and this will be the date that the new Wayfinder becomes available on Steam, with console versions getting the update later this year. The update is a first step, since Wayfinder will remain in Early Access for a while, at a price of $24.99 until launch, after which the price will rise.
This is a huge change, since the game will feature offline solo play or three player co-op, without the requirement for online accounts or always online play. Saves will now be local (and existing progress will be reset). The changes also add flexibility, like the ability to easily play on Steam Deck or PC.
All in-game monetization will be gone when the update arrives, and anything that was previously available for money will be obtainable via gameplay. This means gear, characters, armor sets, and more. Fact, all of the core systems are getting changes with this update. to support this, there will be things like randomized weapon drops, four difficulty levels, armor with variable stats and easier character unlocks.
Airship Syndicate is also deepening the RPG side of Wayfinder, adding a talent system for your characters to add depth to the gameplay. In support of this content, there will be a new playable character releasing with the update, Grendel, who had previously been teased, along with a new open world area that the team says is three times larger than before.
Game Director Steve Madureira said, in a press release, “I think the team did an amazing job bringing more traditional ARPG elements to the game, and the business model shift allowed us to do that. It’s a solid single player game with a lot of content, but it’s even better when playing co-op with friends.”
On May 31st, all existing Founders will get access to a soft launch of the update on Steam before its June 11th release, when new sales resume. PlayStation players can continue playing as usual until the update hits in the summer. In the fall, the game is expected to leave early access, get a price increase and subsequently be available on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox.
