Disney Dreamlight Valley has been in a form of early access for some time at this point - in fact, we checked the game out when its early launch first arrived on Xbox Game Pass in September 2022. At that stage, the plan was always to make the game free-to-play at some stage, however, plans have changed - as has been announced by developer Gameloft.
Yep, alongside the team's decision to move to the full 1.0 version of DDV on December 5th, the game's free-to-play release has been cancelled - at least "for the foreseeable future". Here's the reasoning behind such a big call:
"As we look ahead to the official launch, with the learnings we've gained from Early Access, we’ve made the decision to remain a paid game for the foreseeable future. This means we will not make the transition to be a free-to-play game when we leave Early Access on December 5th.
This choice ensures that Disney Dreamlight Valley will be able to continue delivering on a premium game experience for all players. It's important to us that we maintain our promise to keep delivering free content updates that add new characters, realms, clothing, furniture, and more surprises to your Valley. Purchases requiring moonstones will remain optional, fair, and match the level of quality players have come to expect. Players will still be able to collect free Moonstones via Dream Snaps and Chests, or optionally choose to purchase them."
At the time of writing, Disney Dreamlight Valley remains a part of the Xbox Game Pass library, so subscribers can still access the base game through Microsoft's service for now. If you are interested in picking the game up separately, or on another platform, we'll drop the team's 1.0 pricing structure down below.
If you want to hear a bit more about the team's upcoming plans for Disney Dreamlight Valley, you can catch the game's first-ever showcase on YouTube and Twitch at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 5pm GMT on November 1st - where the game's 'A Rift In Time' expansion will also be fully revealed.