Free version of Eternal Crusade opens up to more factions

Behaviour Interactive has decided to change up the free model of Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade on Steam. Previously known as "Free to WAAAGH!" the free version only allowed non-paying players to play as the Ork faction. A re-launch of sorts then as the game first launched in September last year. Now only one of five factions will be locked for free players while progression is at normal speed. If you spend money on Rogue Trader credits, that will count towards unlocking the premium version of the game (20,000 Rogue Trader credits needed) even if you don't buy one of the premium versions up front (these give you three times the progression speed).

The reason for this shift is that the previously conceived model simply didn't provide value to either paying or non-paying players. Meanwhile we're still waiting to hear news on when we might expect to see the console versions of the game launching...

"To be brutally honest, we wanted more people to shoot at and try out the game before investing their time and money, and this is part of that strategy. In our tests on pricing and positioning, people wanted more options, so we adapt and deliver," says Nathan Richardsson, Senior Producer, via press release.

Further information on the free version as well as the changes made to the game can be found here.

Clearly things haven't been going very well for the Eternal Crusade since launch so it remains to be seen if this is enough to right the ship or if more changes are needed.