Cliff Bleszinki's LawBreakers no longer free-to-play

Crime doesn't pay, but you'll have to.

LawBreakers is a new PC arena shooter from Boss Key, the studio founded by Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski after leaving Epic.

Published by Nexon, it had been announced as a free-to-play affair - but at GDC today Bleszinski said plans have changed and there'll be a price tag attached after all.

A price has not yet been set, but it will be below the $60 of a traditional boxed game, apparently. As for why the change has occurred:

“As the game continued to take shape, we realized free-to-play wasn’t the right fit for what we’re building,” Bleszinski said in a press release.

“LawBreakers is a competitive game at heart and that means balance is a big priority to me, my team, and our community. Using a digital premium model helps ensure an even playing field by giving fans access to every available role without any barriers.”

LawBreakers has had a bit of a facelift since its last showing, and Bleszinski showed GDC attendees a new logo and game modes, as well as the screenshots above and below. Bleszinski said LawBreakers needs to stand out from heavyweight competitors, which is why the team at Boss Key wants to highlight the game's maturity (which here means R-rated violence) and gravity-based gameplay.

The shooter's unique features include "variable gravity effects, unique roll-based movement systems and truly three-dimensional combat realized through grappling blades, reverse blind-firing, time dilation, jetpacks and more".

LawBreakers will be available exclusively on Steam, and you can add it to your wishlist now ahead of its as yet undated launch. It will be on show at PAX East in April, and there will be closed testing sessions before launch.