Godus News: Game Will Be 'Invest-to-Play,' Not 'Free-to-Play'

Godus and Pete Molyneaux are looking to change the way gamers and developers look at free-to-play games with the latest title from the legendary developer.

Known for the Fable series, Molyneaux first announced Godus at the conclusion of his mobile project Curiousity. While Godus will be free eventually, the game is currently available for $19.99 on Steam Early Access. Molyneaux does not want the game to be lumped in with the huge amounts of free-to-play games found on different gaming platforms.

"There cannot be a term that is less true," Molyneux told PocketGamer. "What we need is a new term. And that term is more like 'invest-to-play'. What really are we doing? We are tempting people to invest some of their money into a game."

While Molyneux did not explain how the so-called "invest-to-play" model will work out, he said that it is something "that hasn't existed before." The industry veteran is known for promising revolutionary experiences with each and every game he's been involved in, so until more details about the free version of Godus are revealed fans will have to wait and see if Molyneux is serious about his claims or if he's just hyping his new product. One thing that the developer did reveal is that players will be in control of when they should start investing into the game.

"You've got to be subtle about it and slowly layer in those mechanics. The point we introduce monetization depends on the player, and the game maker has to get you into the right mindset," Molyneux said. 

In addition, the head of 22Cans—the studio that created Godus and was founded by Molyneux—was adamant that one of the most common microtransactions seen in free-to-play games will not be found in Godus.

"We can't be so crude in making the first thing we teach people in these games how to speed things up by spending gems. That's absolutely insane."

Godus was funded through a Kickstarter campaign in December 2012 and is currently enjoying some success on Steam. However, Molyneux gave no indication of how the transition to the new version of the game will change Godus whenever it is revealed.