On August 11th, Risk of Rain 2 will be brought out of Early Access on Steam and will simultaneously receive a massive content update adding a new character, boss, and stage while also slightly increasing its price. The full release also brings new dedicated servers to play on. A 3D sequel to the 2D roguelike shooter released in 2013, Risk of Rain 2 entered Early Access in 2019 and its full release was pushed back to August from its planned date in spring 2020.
Since its Early Access release, Risk of Rain 2 has seen a series of updates adding new playable characters, stages, bosses, and items. Similar to the recent No Man's Sky updates, each Risk of Rain 2 update to this point has added an impactful new layer to its gameplay. The full release in August will include the game's final stage and boss updates, while developer Hopoo will continue to add on new equipment and playable characters throughout the game's lifetime.
According to GameSpot, Risk of Rain 2 will not only receive a content update upon release, but it will also receive a slight increase in price. Currently, Risk of Rain 2 is $20 on Steam, but that price will increase to $25 upon its full release on August 11th. Players who purchase Risk of Rain 2 in Early Access will get the full game when it's released, so buying it before its official release date can save new players a little bit off the entry price.
While a $5 increase may not seem like much, it adds up when comparing prices across different platforms. Outside of Steam, Risk of Rain 2 is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. On these platforms, Risk of Rain 2 costs a whopping $30 compared to the $20 it sells for on Steam. While the game will see a full release on Steam in August, the full release for consoles has an estimated release date of fall 2020. The price hike for the Steam release may indicate that the console releases will also cost a bit more in the future.
Regardless, Risk of Rain 2 still comes in at a pretty good price for a well established indie title, especially when that game has received frequent updates adding substantial amounts of new content since it entered Early Access. While the price hike may turn some noses, Risk of Rain 2 is continually becoming a better experience for players, which obviously comes at a price. In any case, $5 price increase with continued free updates is way better deal in the end than a full-priced game with a paid DLC every few months.
Source: GameSpot