If you’re into battle royale games and own a Quest 2 or Pro headset, March 9 will be your day.
On Tuesday, Big Box VR announced it will make its popular VR battle royale title Population One (POP1) free-to-play.
Big Box says it’s making the game free-to-play to grow its audience and broaden the social multiplayer experience.
Free, For Some
But the game will only be for free on the Meta Quest 2/Pro.
The price will drop from $29.99 to $19.99 on Rift, PCVR, Steam, and Meta Quest.
Starting March 9, players who purchase the game on Rift and SteamVR platforms will receive $1,200 Bureau Gold ($20 value).
All new players will receive 300 Bureau Gold.
Big Box says the pricing variation is to prevent potential cheaters from making new accounts on other platforms.
Existing players and those who purchase Population One before 10 p.m. on March 9 will receive Big Box’s Original Banana Bundle.
The bundle includes five character skins, rare weapons, a spray, a calling card, 1,000 gold, and an exclusive title.
Also included in the bundle is full access to the level progression track.
To redeem your rewards, log into POP1 before the free-to-play transition.
When you log in after the transition, you will see a pop-up button to claim the rewards.
If something goes wrong with the process, you can contact support on the Big Box website.
“We want to reward our existing players and those who choose to purchase the game before March 9th with an exclusive bundle,” says Big Box in a blog post. “Not only that, we have a ton of exciting new content rolling out on March 9th and throughout the year.”
New Content Coming
Content coming on March 9 includes map updates, a store overhaul, a revamped single-player mode, and a graphical upgrade.
According to Big Box, graphical upgrades include improved colors & resolution and real-time shadows.
The game will also receive a balancing update that makes various changes to gameplay involving weaponry, healing, and ghost speed.
Big Box says each weapon will now more accurately fit its intended role for close, medium, and long-range battles.
Inventory slots will hold only one banana instead of two, but they will restore all health instantly.
Big Box has also added a new single-player progression with rewards and improved AI battles.
According to the company, AI will dynamically change difficulty based on a player’s skill level.
The rocket launcher will also be available as an accessory item in all Sandbox game modes.
After March 9, players can create sandbox rooms with 12-24 players, depending on preference.
POP1 has new moderation tools debuting on March 9 to combat cheaters and troublemakers.
Following the March 9 updates, POP1 will receive the Sandbox Battle Royale Mode and Playlist on March 30.