It’s a big day for Disney Dreamlight Valley, as the laid-back fantasy town sim announces its plans for the future, with the reveal not only of the full Dreamlight Valley release date for the game to finally leave early access, but also of its first expansion. Disney Dreamlight Valley: A Rift in Time will be the game’s first paid expansion pass, and arrives alongside the game’s full launch on Tuesday December 5, although we’ll get to see more of what to expect before then.
Developer Gameloft lays out the future of Disney Dreamlight Valley in a lengthy blog post on its website. First up, it confirms that Dreamlight Valley will leave early access on Tuesday December 5, and that all existing players will keep their current access to the game, Moonstones, and their saves. That’s a big relief if you, like me, have poured far too many hours into one of the best life games in recent memory.
Originally, the stated intention was that Dreamlight Valley would become free-to-play once it launched, but this is no longer the case. Gameloft explains, “This choice ensures that Disney Dreamlight Valley will be able to continue delivering on a premium game experience for all players. 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.”
It also reassures players that “Purchases requiring Moonstones will remain optional, fair, and match the level of quality players have come to expect,” and that “Players will still be able to collect free Moonstones via Dream Snaps and chests, or optionally choose to purchase them.” The original founder’s packs will be replaced by new editions of the game, some of which also include the new expansion pass.
Gameloft notes that all founders will also be given the unique items from the new gold edition free of charge upon launch, along with 2,500 Moonstones. The expansion, A Rift in Time, requires the base game to play, and you can expect to pay $29.99 to gain access to its contents.
As to quite what the expansion will entail for that price, you’ll have to wait until Wednesday November 1 to find out, when a special showcase will reveal the details of what to expect from this “all-new adventure across Eternity Isle where you’ll meet new friends, discover new biomes, and immerse yourself in new gameplay features.” The teaser image, however, does feature Rapunzel, Gaston, and EVE from WALL-E, along with nods to several other famous locations in the background.
Gameloft also says you can expect glimpses of other upcoming updates during the November 1 stream, along with the unveiling of “much-anticipated multiplayer features.” As someone who’s been desperately eager to play Dreamlight Valley with my pals, I’m very curious to see how that side of things is coming along. You can check in on all the details ahead of the upcoming livestream courtesy of the Dreamlight Valley blog.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that at the time of writing, Dreamlight Valley is still part of the Microsoft Game Pass library, so those of you with a subscription to PC Game Pass or Game Pass Ultimate will continue to have access to the base game for the foreseeable future.
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