For a hardcore niche PvE game, Embers Adrift probably hobbled its chances at launch by demanding both a box price and an ongoing subscription fee to access. After several months of monkeying around with the price point of the sub, Stormhaven is now dropping the mandatory monthly fee as its business model.
That’s right: Embers Adrift is going buy-to-play by the end of this month. “At the end of June 2023, all players who have purchased Embers Adrift (past, present, or future) will be able to play an active character through all the content in the game without a subscription,” the studio said.
This will separate the game’s community into two tiers. Those who don’t pay a sub will have to contend with restrictions such as a single character slot, reduced storage, and (worst of all!) “restricted emote access.” Those who do pony up for the $10/month fee are granted extra character slots, no restrictions, a portable crafting station, and a subscriber-only chat channel.
