Disney Dreamlight Valley won't be free-to-play after all when it launches next month

Mouse house life sim Disney Dreamlight Valley has been in early access since it launched last year, with the plan being that it would ditch the fee and become free-to-play upon its full release.

That plan has changed. Dreamlight Valley will leave early access on December 5th but will remain a paid-for game.

"This choice ensures that Disney Dreamlight Valley will be able to continue delivering on a premium game experience for all players," says the announcement. "It's important to us that we maintain our promise to keep delivering free content updates that add new characters, realms, clothing, furniture, and more surprises to your Valley. Purchases requiring moonstones will remain optional, fair, and match the level of quality players have come to expect."

Existing players will keep their saved game and currencies post-launch, but the Founder's packs they purchased to access the game will disappear from sale. They will be replaced by several new editions, including a basic edition which includes 8000 moonstones (the in-game currency) for $40 and a Gold Edition that includes an Expansion pass and some cosmetic gubbins for $70. An expansion pass on its own costs $30.

That expansion pass will grant access to A Rift In Time, a new expansion launching alongside 1.0 on December 5th. The expansion will include new characters and biomes, but more information will be shown during a showcase livestream on November 1st.

Steve Hogarty found Dreamlight Valley a surprisingly magical experience in his early access review, albeit one held back by grind and glitches. Perhaps those things have been fixed since, mind.