Wayfinder becomes Wayfinder Echoes, No Longer Free To Play

By AJ Hanson on 15/05/2024 16:09 UTC

Airship Syndicate have revealed their longterm plans for Wayfinder, the MMOish Action RPG game they took over from Digital Extremes last year, and its an interesting direction for the game, for sure. 

A Whole New Experience

Launching on June 11th, 2024, Wayfinder will become Wayfinder Echoes, keeping the action RPG elements, but dropping all online requirements and allowing you to play solo OR with 3-player co-op. 

Wayfinder will be removing all online requirements and will be a single-player game with optional 3-player co-op.

No queues, no login, no accounts. You can choose to play solo on your Steam Deck while on the go or engage in peer-to-peer co-op with friends from your home PC. We realize this is a big shift, but a necessary one to guarantee that the game is around forever. This also means that all progress will not be carried forward due to saves being local and not on a server. This major change will be the basis for what we’re calling Wayfinder's Echoes Update.

The game will also switch from a Free-To-Play model to a purchased box title at $24.99 USD. 

Removing the online requirement wasn’t our only major change. The industry has also shifted in recent years. With more and more games coming out, they’re all fighting for player’s time and attention. Players have more to play than ever, and they’re being asked to log into multiple games to check their daily quests, look at a store rotation, and be drip-fed content. Players today are more apt to outright purchase a game they know is full of content and also respectful of their time. In the Echoes Update, we’ll be charging one price—$24.99 USD during Early Access (increasing upon full release). No in-game microtransactions or in-game purchases, just one price. Founders who have already purchased the game will have access, and all the exclusive items included in each pack. Our Founder’s Packs will not be going back on sale. For anyone that supported us by purchasing in-game Runesilver, we’ve converted that Runesilver into a new in-game currency used to acquire exclusive cosmetics.

Wayfinder Echoes Has Gameplay Changes Too

Airship also revealed that "major gameplay changes" are incoming, and that they've touched every major system in the game, allowing gameplay to be more refined but also the game to perform and play better overall across various systems, including Steam Deck! 

Changes include all weapons becoming randomized drops with various slots, "armor now having stats and being collectable", along with thousands of cosmetics and housing items that will be available for players to collect. The grind to obtain new characfters has also been removed, and requirements have been eased for awakening chracters. 

Housing item limits have been increased, difficulty options have been added to the game, and traditional RPG style talents have been added to aide in player progression. 

On top of all that, a new Wayfinder, Grendel, will launch alongside the revamp, along with brand new Hunts, and a new Overlands zone which is said to be three times the size of the last zone! 

Addressing The Past

Airship also took time to address the path they've been on, and the rocky start the game had at its original early acces launch until now. For what its worth, this team seems dedictated to turning Wayfinders around and making it a long term success, and if No Mans Sky can do it, why can't they? 

When Can You Play Wayfinder Echoes

Wayfinder Echoes will soft launch on Steam on May 31st, 2024. 

"From that point forward, all online requrements tied to Steam, including all player data, will be removed and the the game will be available for anyone that currently owns any version of Wayfinder on Steam." 

Wayfinder Echoes will then be made available for sale again on June 11th, 2024, in early access. Playstation 5 will see the changes later this year, and a concrete timeline will be established and announced at a later date. Playstation 4 development and support will be discontinued, while all PS4 verisons can be upgraded to the PS5 version at no extra cost. 

The game will also eventually launch on Xbox Series: 

We plan to leave Early Access later in 2024, but during that time, we’ll be adding gameplay refinements based on feedback, a new Wayfinder, a new location to explore, new expanded housing, and more. We’re also formally announcing that Wayfinder will be coming to Xbox Series X|S during Early Access, and we’ll provide an update on timing later in the year.

Will you check out this new version of Wayfinders?