Among Us and its spin-offs like Among Us 3D may have pioneered the social deduction genre in video games, but plenty more games have followed in their steps. Games like Lockdown Protocol and Deceive Inc. are some examples, but big brands also tried to cash in on the craze through games like The Walking Dead: Betrayal, Death Note Killer Within, and board games like Dune: Betrayal. Some of those have performed better than others in the newly cluttered genre, however, and in an effort to revitalize its community and get more players into its game, one developer is making its social deduction game completely free-to-play starting today.
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In a community update video titled “For the Community. For the Future,” the developers of the social deduction game Castle of Blackwater lamented that the game had not been getting enough players despite the work they put into making the game the best it could be.
Released back in March for $6.99 on Steam, Castle of Blackwater only managed to peak at 69 concurrent players, according to the third-party website SteamDB. The game was discounted to 50% off during the Steam Summer Sale, but it still failed to attract a significant number of players. This new pricing model change may lead to a larger player base, now that it has a lower barrier to entry.
“We just weren’t getting enough players to keep the matchmaking healthy,” said Jojo of the Castle of Blackwater team in the update video. “We thought that the Steam summer sale would change something… Even at half price, most visitors didn’t convert.”
The developers expanded further on what moving to free-to-play would mean for the game’s future in a Steam community update post. Players who have already purchased the game will receive an exclusive “mythical cosmetic” which will “never be made available again.” Paid players will also retain the full collection of 21 starter cosmetics, which will be doled out to new players at a slower pace.
With the transition to free-to-play, the creators will be focused on developing optional cosmetic content to fund the game’s development. No specific time was given regarding when the game will go free-to-play, so if it’s not free when you look at the Steam page, be sure to check back soon to see if it’s available.
“Going free-to-play is a huge shift. It means we can finally scale the player base, fill lobbies faster, and build a sustainable path forward supported by optional cosmetics rather than an upfront price tag,” said the Steam community post. “It won’t be easy. It will mean more moderation, more content, and more technical challenges. But we’re ready, and we’re committed to making this work.”
Among Us, the hit 2018 social deduction game that Castle of Blackwater takes some inspiration from, costs money to purchase on some platforms but is free to download on mobile platforms. When it was released, Among Us also initially received little attention, with only 30 to 50 concurrent players on average. However, the game experienced a massive surge in popularity in early 2020, during the COVID lockdown era, demonstrating that the market for social deduction games is there with the right combination of factors. While the game has declined considerably since then, Among Us still regularly averages several thousand concurrent players on Steam, with more players on various other platforms.
It remains to be seen whether this move to free-to-play can attract more players and sustain development for future Castle of Blackwater updates. The game attempts to stand out from competitors like Among Us through magical abilities, such as mind-reading and werewolf transformations, to give the social deduction genre a more fantastical feel. Now that it’s free to download, there is no harm in trying it out yourself to see if its combination of game modes and features can hold you and your friend’s attention.
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