Dark and Darker won't let players pay to win, but will have monetization of some sort

Dark and Darker's developer doesn't know how it's going to monetize the game when it launches in full.

The medieval action game has seen a series of playtests so far, but one day it'll eventually launch in full on platforms like Steam. When that day comes, developer Ironmace still isn't sure how it'll properly monetize Dark and Darker in order to keep the studio lights on and pay the bills.

In a recent Discord Q&A (thanks, PC Gamer), Ironmace was asked about its plans for monetization features in Dark and Darker, and the answer was simply "a monetization model that players can understand." This, as you can probably imagine, doesn't exactly paint a clear picture of plans for the future.

Elsewhere in the Q&A, Ironmace said it hasn't "fully decided" on whether to commit to battle passes or cosmetic item shops in Dark and Darker. What Ironmace does actually reveal, though, is that sales from Dark and Darker won't be enough to sustain servers and keep the studio operating on their own, so monetization will be necessary in some form.

"There is absolutely no P2W" Ironmace reassured a fan in the Q&A, revealing they won't extend monetization to cover game-changing items and bonuses. Despite the vagueness of monetization matters, the promise of no pay-to-win mechanics will come as a huge relief for Dark and Darker players.

There's undoubtedly a lot left undecided by Ironmace right now about monetization, but it's clear that in the modern gaming industry, sales alone aren't enough to keep a studio going. Here's hoping the Dark and Darker dev settles on a method that both keeps the lights on and satisfies its players.

Dark and Darker's getting another playtest in April, with some pretty huge additions to prior closed beta sessions.