You can already play Tower of Fantasy on PC or a smartphone, but Sony has been heavily promoting the PS5 and PS4 port, and that’s because the open world gacha is a timed console exclusive. The small print at the end of the game’s latest launch trailer notes that the PlayStation version is deploying “at least 12 months earlier than any other console”. This is boilerplate language for a timed console exclusive, as we’ve also seen with titles like Forspoken and Deathloop.
In a pretty large PS Blog post, Perfect World Games’ Sky Wang introduced some of the concepts of the conversion, and confirmed that it will be free-to-play on PlayStation platforms. Previously, it had announced a trio of paid pre-orders, but these come with 48-hour early access and additional in-game items; all three purchasable packages are entirely optional, and you’ll be able to try the game at no cost come launch day on 8th August.
While it will be compared to Genshin Impact due to its art style, this is an online MMO-style experience, as opposed to HoYoverse’s largely offline open world. In addition to questing and battling, there’s a social hub with minigames like mah-jong, and there are even cars and motorbikes to unlock. Players on PS5 and PS4 will get a bonus blue car if they purchase the Ultimate Edition, which is themed around the colour scheme of Sony’s latest console.
Of course, this is a game designed to be expanded upon over time, and the PS Blog notes that launch day is just the beginning of an ongoing update cadence for PlayStation platforms. “Get ready to forge new friendships, unravel mysteries, and embark on a free-to-play adventure like no other in Tower of Fantasy,” concluded Wang. “Grab your controller and let the magic unfold. We can’t wait to meet you on PlayStation.”
[source blog.playstation.com]
Comments 15
I can't wait to give this a try, it actually looks more fun than genshin from the gameplay I've seen, and the arcade and bowling games seem interesting too.
I don't play these kind of games but if I had to play one I would take the turn based genshin over this tbh.
Microsoft is going to counter this by purchasing Genshin Impact.
@ATaco unlikely. China and US don’t play nice.
Besides even if China allowed it, they wouldn’t be cheap, MiHoYo is a company on the way up, they made more profit than Sony last year in gaming.
@ATaco China allowing a US company to buy a Chinese company? More chance of Starfield shadow dropping on the PS5 on release day. Anyway even if MS did somehow buy them Genshin is on PS5 so it would change nothing.
@DennisReynolds @themightyant
It was a joke.
So Sony basically paid a lot of money so people who are already playing the game won't have any major update for 12 month? What kind of ugly move is that? This is one of the worst exclusive agreement I've seen
I played the initial PC release aaaaand it was janky as all hell but it had potential so I might jump into the PS5 version to see if they cleaned it up.
@Rhaoulos Yeah that and it will be independent from the PC and the Android versions. So, no cross save. Not sure how it will go content wise if it will keep up with the other versions in that regard. Regardless I'm sticking with Star Rail for now which sounds like it be more likely that will have cross save to PS since Genshin did.
@Rhaoulos How did you jump to that conclusion? it won't impact people who are already playing on PC. It just means when it gets a console release you won't be able to play on xbx and Switch for 12 months.
Do you really think at this point Forspoken will be released on Xbox? LOL. What's the point? I feel it will remain a console exclusive forever. 😄
@Rhaoulos Sounds more like it just won't release on Xbox/Switch for 12 months. PC and Android will still get updates as they were, sounds like the same deal with Genshin.
I can't wait to play this! I can't wait till August 8th!! (Lord willing) It seems so far away. After Finishing FF16 I have been so bored with RPG gaming.(My favorite Genre)
I think this game is gonna need more good luck than the world has to offer to have a snow's chance in hell of being successful. Too much heavy competition and the west doesn't like gacha.
Played this on PC, it's really not worth your time. Not only is more stuff locked behind a gacha than genshin but they all use their own currency.
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