Here's an important update from our Creative Director Simon Darveau:

“We’ve said from the start that we’re committed to creating a fresh and exciting experience for Darwin Project players and viewers. With features like the Show Director who serves as a master of ceremonies, Spectator Interactions that let viewers directly interact with streams, and an emphasis on tracking that ensures players are always within arm’s reach of a tense confrontation, we still believe Darwin Project offers a quality experience unlike any other battle royale game out there.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a core community of players join us at a very early stage, with many still supporting us during Early Access, and the last thing we want to do is let those passionate players down. Lately, members of our community have reported longer queue times and difficulty finding matches in lesser populated servers. To bring in new players and maintain a level of activity that ensures players are able to get the most of out Darwin Project, we’ve decided to make it more accessible by removing the price tag.

“We’re aware that it’s a big change, and we want to reiterate that we’re remaining true to Darwin Project’s vision as we move forward.”



How can I play for free?
Darwin Project is currently available as a free download on Steam.

I bought the game already. Since it’s free now, will I be compensated?
If you own Darwin Project, you’ll receive the Founder’s Pack containing 2 MTL Legendary sets, 3 Legendary Axes, 3 Legendary Bows, a full jumpsuit collection, and 5 Fan Gifts. The Founder's Pack will be added to your inventory on Tuesday, April 24. UPDATE: Here’s the final Founder’s Pack with the confirmed item names in full:



I’m not interested in the Founder’s Pack. Would it be possible to have a refund?
If you paid for the game and want to be refunded, you can do it through Steam regardless of purchase date (we’re currently in the process of extending the refund period, so check again soon if you’re not able to refund yet).

Will Darwin Project be pay-to-win?
No. We will never sell items that give a competitive advantage.



See you and ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS in the arena!

Inmates,

Thanks to your help, Mister Friend has successfully gathered 500,000 flags for his mysterious tool! Here's his heartfelt response to finally being able to build the Glider:

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, in the forms of flags, that greeted my humble request for hundreds of thousands of flags. Sure, collecting flags wasn’t as glamorous as flying a fighter jet with the window open or eating a Philly cheesesteak, but it got results. Years from now we’ll laugh together, remembering these days, our Flag days, and how we proved everyone wrong, how we stood up for what was right and said Yes! I got all those flags. I worked long nights in the lab (my prison cell) only taking short breaks to use the bathroom (also my cell). Testing the Glider in a small room was extremely painful.
Courage. Vigilance. Flags.
Your Neighbour,
Mister Friend



To use the Glider in-game, go to the Crafting Wheel customization inside a lobby or in the main menu and add the Glider to your Tools. Collect 1 Wood and 1 Leather to craft it in the arena, then use it to make a quick escape or drop in on unsuspecting enemies.

With the Glider, you can cover long distances faster than ever. Deploy it from high ground and fly over a fire or a lava area to maximize flight time!

Manage to create a really cool moment with the Glider? Tag us on Twitter @ScavengerStudio with your clips!

Hello inmates,

Tuesday, April 24, we’re overhauling the progression system to give you the ability to earn a variety of cosmetic items as you level up. This means that when Tuesday’s update goes live, which is expected to happen at 12:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM UTC), you will be reset to Level 1. Don’t worry: none of your career stats like Official Rating and Games Played will be affected.

As you play Darwin Project matches and gain Fans, you’ll occasionally receive Fan Gifts. Open these packages to discover new styles for your clothes or weapons. We hope you’re excited to start expanding your collection because we’re adding over 200 items on Tuesday, with more coming later!

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the items you’ll be able to unlock and show off in the arena very soon:







Look forward to new hairstyles and facial customization options soon as well. For now, unlockable cosmetics will be limited to items wearable by contestants, but we’re not forgetting about all the Show Directors out there! This is just the start of our efforts to make the Darwin Project arena a more fashionable place to carry out the manhunt.

For more information and a deeper look into what we’ve got in store, tune in to our devstream Friday, April 20 at 2 PM EDT: https://www.twitch.tv/darwinproject. We’ll be answering some of your questions related to customization and other recent updates. Submit your questions here ahead of time: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheDarwinProject/comments/8d94im/reddit_ama_and_live_devstream/

See you in the arena!

Hello inmates!

It has been one month since Darwin Project launched on Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview. I am personally amazed by how our whole community has grown in that short time. Our community has expanded to almost 13,000 on Discord (from about 7,000 prior to launch), 14,500 on Twitter, and almost 33,000 here on Steam. For a small team like us, those numbers are humbling. However, what we’re even prouder of is the sense of camaraderie and positivity within the community, despite Darwin Project being all about sticking your axe into other players the first chance you get. Players are generally friendly to one another, and we hear “good game” frequently―even from players who just died to a headshot. As someone who has been a member of many other gaming communities for several years, I find this simply amazing.

Darwin Project’s vision was built around social interaction, so it’s very important for us that our community continues to display this positivity throughout Early Access and beyond. We have been hard at work listening to our players, recording feedback, and amplifying community initiatives. Most importantly, we have been working on making sure that Darwin Project matches are toxicity-free as much as possible. Today, we wanted to share some measures we’ve taken to minimize the number of unpleasant experiences our players encounter:

• We are investigating player reports and have given sanctions to players found to have violated the Code of Conduct.
  
• We have increased the number of in-game enforcers on both Steam and Xbox as well as the number of moderators on our social channels. Enforcers and moderators exist to provide support, answer questions, ensure order, and spread positivity.
  
• We now require event organizers to adhere to the Code of Conduct to promote their events in the dedicated community events channel on Discord.

Your reports are greatly helping us make sure toxic players are held responsible for their actions, and we are working on better tools to not only handle reports more efficiently, but also notify you when those you’ve filed lead to a sanction. Please continue to report behavior that violates the Code of Conduct so we can maintain the fun atmosphere inside the Darwin Project arena together.

If you haven’t already and want to get more involved with our community, come join our Discord server at discord.gg/darwin. We are now 12,700 strong and still growing! It’s a chance for you to get to know community members, share tips, and apply for special roles if that’s something you’re interested in.
We will keep being as active as we can on all our official channels and do our best to nurture the wonderful spirit many of you have come to expect from the Darwin Project community.

Looking forward to seeing you around!

Love,
Your blacksmithing Community Manager - Sam <3

Hello inmates,

You’ve received a strange message from your jail cell neighbor, known only as Mister Friend, saying he needs your help to escape the facility and show up (albeit very late) to his son’s soccer game. He needs you to collect some flags from the arena that he will use to build a device for his escape.

Collect 50 flags to add the Earhart hat to your dressing room. If you work together with other inmates and manage to find a collective 500,000, a new tool will be made available for all players!

Full details about Mister Friend's Escape Plan here: http://www.scavengers.ca/help-mister-friends-escape-plan-unlock-new-hat-tool/



View patch notes 1.8.3 with today's improvements: http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-3/

See you in the arena!
- The Scavengers Team

Hello inmates,

You’ve received a strange message from your jail cell neighbor, known only as Mister Friend, saying he needs your help to escape the facility and show up (albeit very late) to his son’s soccer game. He needs you to collect some flags from the arena that he will use to build a device for his escape.

Collect 50 flags to add the Earhart hat to your dressing room. If you work together with other inmates and manage to find a collective 500,000, a new tool will be made available for all players!

Full details about Mister Friend's Escape Plan here: http://www.scavengers.ca/help-mister-friends-escape-plan-unlock-new-hat-tool/



View patch notes 1.8.3 with today's improvements: http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-3/

See you in the arena!
- The Scavengers Team

Hello inmates!

As you've probably guessed, Duo Mode is sticking around for good!

We'll continue improving it with your help, so be sure to keep the feedback coming. You can expect to see Duos leaderboards and Private Matches soon.

As a reminder, you have until Friday, April 6 at 3 PM EDT to participate in the Darwin Project Easter Egg Hunt and unlock three special hats. Full details here: http://www.scavengers.ca/earn-special-hats-week-long-easter-egg-hunt/

See you in the arena!

Hello inmates!

As you've probably guessed, Duo Mode is sticking around for good!

We'll continue improving it with your help, so be sure to keep the feedback coming. You can expect to see Duos leaderboards and Private Matches soon.

As a reminder, you have until Friday, April 6 at 3 PM EDT to participate in the Darwin Project Easter Egg Hunt and unlock three special hats. Full details here: http://www.scavengers.ca/earn-special-hats-week-long-easter-egg-hunt/

See you in the arena!

Hello inmates,

Duos are back for another Test Weekend! As with the first test, we'd love to know what you think. Please leave us your feedback on any of our official channels.

From now until April 6, you can also score some special hats during our Easter Egg Hunt event. There are three Easter-themed hats on offer if you can collect enough eggs before the event ends. Full details here: http://www.scavengers.ca/earn-special-hats-week-long-easter-egg-hunt/



Read Patch Notes 1.8.2 here: http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-2/

Wishing everyone a great long weekend, and see you in the arena!
- The Scavengers Team

Hello inmates,

Duos are back for another Test Weekend! As with the first test, we'd love to know what you think. Please leave us your feedback on any of our official channels.

From now until April 6, you can also score some special hats during our Easter Egg Hunt event. There are three Easter-themed hats on offer if you can collect enough eggs before the event ends. Full details here: http://www.scavengers.ca/earn-special-hats-week-long-easter-egg-hunt/



Read Patch Notes 1.8.2 here: http://www.scavengers.ca/changelog/patch-notes-1-8-2/

Wishing everyone a great long weekend, and see you in the arena!
- The Scavengers Team