Killer Instinct celebrates 10th anniversary by releasing free-to-play version

Killer Instinct, Iron Galaxy and Xbox Game Studios’ 2013 reboot of the classic fighting game, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. To commemorate this milestone after a decade of support, the developers are releasing a free-to-play version of the game containing the game’s single-player and local multiplayer modes and a rotating fighter list, as well as a special Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition containing all previously released content.

“First of all, on behalf of everyone who’s ever worked on Killer Instinct, I’d like to thank you, our community, for ten amazing years of KI,” writes the developers on the game’s website. “Your support has made it possible for us to keep KI going, and we’re proud to be here on the game’s 10^th anniversary to give you an update that we hope will excite fans new and old.”

Following the release of the 10th anniversary update, Killer Instinct will have two versions. The free-to-play version will feature one free weekly rotating Fighter and contain the Single-Player, Local, and Ranked modes. For players who want to access all the content, including the full 29-character roster of playable characters and all previously-released DLC, there is the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition which will be available for purchase.

If you already own the Killer Instinct Definitive Edition, it will be upgraded to the Anniversary Edition for free. Some content present in the Definitive Edition won’t carry over to the Anniversary Edition. This includes the Definitive Edition App and Killer Instinct Classic 1 and 2 on Xbox. If you own Killer Instinct Definitive Edition digitally, however, that content will still be available to be redownloaded at no cost. The ability to purchase fighters individually will be retired; you can either purchase all of them at once via the Anniversary Edition, or you can play them via the rotating fighter feature as part of the free-to-play version of the game.

It is rare for a game to receive continuous support for a whole decade, and commemorating that milestone by releasing a free-to-play version to entice new players is a nice gesture. There is no confirmed date for when the Killer Instinct Anniversary Edition update will be coming along, but it should be soon if it is going to meet the game’s 10th anniversary.