After re-launching as a free to play title less than a week ago, Turtle Rock Studios announces that Evolve has brought in over one million new players on Steam.

The monster hunting game Evolve launched back in February of 2015 to loads of promise but ultimately and surprisingly lost much of its player population due to a variety of reasons that included an over reliance on DLC, repetitive gameplay, and a lack of modes. Not willing to let the game die, Turtle Rock Studios went back to the drawing board to overhaul the game and revive it as a free to play title. While shocking to many players, it appears the move has paid off for the game as its player population on PC is flourishing.

In a post on its official website, Turtle Rock announces that since Evolve re-launched less than a week ago, over 1 million new PC players have accessed the game. To celebrate, anyone who logs in between now and July 18 before 10AM PT will unlock Griffin's Blood Eagle Hunter skin for free. Once the promotion ends, the skin will appear for any player who previously logged in.

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The news represents a major milestone for the game which reached a peak player count in June of just over 200 prior to the announcement. The peak player count on Steam since then was 51,099, which is also significantly higher than anytime during its launch window on PC as well.

Known as Evolve: Stage 2, PC players have complete access to the free to play game as there are no microtransactions. Playing the game unlocks an in-game currency known as silver keys which can be used to unlock everything from characters, to skins, to other items which were all part of the glut of DLC at launch. Players who previously spent money on the game are awarded founder status and given perks such as animated icons, free silver keys, and other gifts, rewards, and special access as a way for the developer to say thank you.

Eager console players may not have to wait long until the free to play button is pressed by Turtle Rock Studios. Currently, Evolve: Stage 2 is only on PC platforms due to the long certification process that can occur with consoles. The idea is to wait and package all of the PC updates and fixes into one massive update for the game on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which in turn will make the process much smoother for players.

Have you checked the game out on PC or are you waiting for it to eventually hit consoles? Get at us in the comments.

Evolve: Stage 2 is available now for free on PC and coming soon to consoles.

Source: Evolve Game Website