14 DAY TRIAL // The developers at Team Dakota and publisher Microsoft are announcing that they are planning to make the switch from a microtransaction system to a fully free experience for Project Spark on October 5.
All gamers will be then able to access all the content that was offered for a price before, and the two companies are planning to deliver more tools that will encourage the community to create content and to share it.
The switch will help Project Spark realize its goal of empowering players in terms of creativity, allowing them to create interesting new realities in the virtual space.
Rahul Sandil, head of Project Spark Acquisition/Engagement, is quoted by the Xbox Wire as stating, "Project Spark inspires and empowers over 200,000 creators who have shared tens of millions of custom objects, behaviors and experiences. Every day we see anywhere between 300 and 400 new games being uploaded on our platform. Our support of these creators and our communications with them will continue in an open, free and collaborative environment."
For gamers who have spent money starting on July 28 of this year or activated retail discs after this date or still have in-game tokens that they have not used, Microsoft is planning to deliver Store credit equivalent to their investment.
The compensation will be offered 30 to 60 days after October 5.
Project Spark is getting new features
The developers are celebrating the shift to a fully free model by introducing a range of improvements to the game, which can be seen in full by clicking on the button at the end of this article.
The focus for the studio is to make sure that gamers have the tools and the pieces required to make their own interesting content.
The Project Spark Marketplace, the Tour and the Treasure Trove are also eliminated.
The title was introduced on both the Xbox One and the PC in late 2014, and those who want to enjoy it will be able to use everything from a controller and the Kinect motion tracking system to a classic mouse and keyboard setup.
Project Spark is seen by Microsoft as a way to show the power of the Xbox One and how a product can be adapted to work on an ecosystem of devices centered on the new Windows 10 operating system.