The seasonal model seems to be dead

Lost in the hype over Kilgore and Ultimates returning, I just read a series of tweets from Kraig (about an hour ago:

“A few people have asked if Kilgore is part of season 3. No, he is not.”

Okay, we all knew that from watching the stream and I believe they’d mentioned it before. However…

“As someone astutely noticed, the season cycle has definitely been changed, starting with Kilgore.”

Followed by:

“The game has simply outgrown it. #Killerinstinct has to adapt and grow with its audience.”


So, @BlitzedKraig , is this full and final confirmation that we will not be getting a traditional season 4? That KI will, from now on, be getting a continual stream of content as opposed to bulk content drops in a season format? Or am I misinterpreting what you said above?

We’ll still be getting a season4 I’m sure but it’s going to be done different from others.

1 Like

I assumed that before too, but I’m not so sure now. Saying “the season cycle has changed” followed by “the game has outgrown it” seems to indicate otherwise, doesn’t it?

Another clarifying tweet in response to someone asking about season 4:

“we don’t look at it like a replacement. We’re releasing standalone content weekly now.”

Who was it that said the season cycle is over and that KI has outgrown it and has to adapt, if you don’t mind me asking ?

Kraig, the Creative Director from Iron Galaxy.

I’m still trying to figure out if this means “we’re just doing monthly content right now until we put out a full, 4th season” or if it simply means what he says, which is that “the season cycle has changed, the game has simply outgrown it.” To me, that implies no more seasons, but rather continual content delivery.

Mind you, I’m not stating an opinion on it one way or the other. I’m just curious if this is the new long term plan or if this is just the current short term plan and things will be different down the line.

To me, Ultimates seem like a feature that would’ve been added for a full, 4th season as a big feature, but we’re getting them now. I dunno… Just kinda seems like continuous content is the official, new direction, doesn’t it?

1 Like

I partially feel like the 3 post season characters are going to be warm up fuel for season 4. But if they go the league or dota approach of skins and crap out the butt for the year while releaseing a few characters ill be fine with it. ONLY if one of these options happens
A) people buying skins in bulk pay for free characters ala dota2 (doubt this will happen though)
B) a Season like pass or bundle for the characters coming out that year
C) able to buy the characters with ki gold (heck make the ki gold price point double the cost of its weight in real monies for all I care since we earn it in game)
D) the 10$ Kilgore price point is just for the community fund and we go to 5$ characters.

also if a character doesn’t fit with any of the stages… we get a new one for them… for an example if we get an ent/dryad … id like a forest stage or a watery stage for some sea creature characters etc. Since Ive come to terms with were not getting a stage for each character (and I don’t think guests should have stages)

Maybe it will become a pay to use model.
Do you want ultimates? 10$
Kilgore? 10$
Shorchid? 10$

This is what I’m curious about as well. Some people are already balking at $10 for Kilgore. Makes you wonder…

I mean, I LOVE the idea of continual content! Not having to wait 8-10 months for the next season to arrive sounds awesome and between Kilgore and Ultimates, I’m VERY happy with the content they’ve shown us so far.

But on the flipside, if EVERYTHING in the game becomes a la carte? That could get really expensive, really quickly.

It’s only $5 for Kilgore tho. The other half goes to tournaments. So I’m sure the others would be $5 too.

1 Like

That seems most likely, unless each of the next two characters include a $5 donation as well. I’m not assuming that, but ya never know.

Unless there are three more community funds, I doubt that would happen.

I think people are missing the point, there is no Season 4, that’s to say there is no seasonal type of marketing game.

KI is finished, everything that will be added will just be paid DLC in a form of community funds or project funds. Is that bad? Absolutely not.

By outgrown, I see that the 8 characters and themes/stages is overdone in KI, we saw this with a sudden cutoff from stages in Season 3.

So what does it mean? I’d like to believe that KI will now receive treatment over the span of its final days leading up to a potential sequel, if not end. Meaning they will polish, balance and add tid bits to keep the game going but with nearly 30 characters, seasons seem redundant and unfavorable considering the lack of “creativeness” vocalized by the minority of the community.

At least, that’s how I see it.

4 Likes

Well, there only needs to be one fund if all of the money from the separate characters is going to the same place.

My apologies, I shouldn’t be throwing out ideas or assuming anything. I guess I’m just looking for clarification, because if they are actually changing over from a season model to a continuous content model, the amount of money and the overall value versus a full season… I dunno, that worries me a little.

That’s what I’m more or less trying to get confirmed.

I haven’t heard anyone from the dev team say this though. If they did, then my apologies.

What do you mean by overdone?

No offense intended at all, but right now, this seems like pure speculation, which is exactly what I’m trying to avoid doing myself. I know they won’t want to use words like “final days” when describing their own game, but they wen from saying “we’ll keep supporting the game as long you keep buying stuff” to “KI has outgrown the seasonal model” more or less and I’m just trying to figure out what that means for the future of this game without making assumptions.

You could be absolutely, 100% correct on this though. Definitely not discounting you or your opinion here. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I bought all 3 seasons on day one and all in the ultra version and also shadow jago
But this time I will wait…
They will probably lower the price in a kind of new definitive edition with all content.

If the model now is “pay for whatever comes next” it opens new ways of getting what we want

5$ for a new char, 10$ for char + stage and music

Very true. It also opens the door for us getting nickel and dimed for every new piece of content that comes out. Compared to the content you get in a season, that could add up quickly. It’s all optional, sure, but considering the fact that the nine skins currently out cost half as much as an entire season… I dunno. There could definitely be some pluses and minuses.

I will say that I do love the idea of getting more content each week. That sounds AMAZING and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next. I just worry how much it’s all going to cost and the value now versus before.

2 Likes

They haven’t, just an idea.

I mean, there are nearly 30 characters, all that need to be properly balanced to seem st equal level yet have enough strengths based on playstyle. Another 8 characters or something in another season is overboard don’t you think? It’s a lot of time and money invested in what could potentially be a sequel. Personally, I don’t think KI needs more characters, three is fine, but mostly improvements to the game and things like Ultimates/No Mercies are good enough.

None taken. Of course it’s speculation, that’s why I hedged with, “I’d like to believe…”, because none of what I said is legitimized. I figure it isn’t healthy toward the discussion to speculate until further clarification from a developer, however, if that’s the case then what’s to discuss? We can only speculate and see the game for what it is and how the developers may be approaching it. They haven’t mentioned Season 4 and shy away from it along with bringing content away from what they say, “is a finished Season 3”.

Ultimately (heh get it?), this isn’t Season 4, they only mentioned 3 characters, one of which is the only one with a theme. Suggesting that the next two characters are potential remixes on a lower scale.

Anyway I’ll shy away from any more speculation, don’t want to confuse anyone or deter from potential possibilities with KI.

2 Likes

How much do people have to pay for kilgore? Thats right $10, so he is $10

1 Like

That sucks, now we can’t buy the all inclusive bundles to save money. So we’re going to get nickel and dimed with $10 characters and $5 skin packs.

1 Like

Kinda this.

10$ for 1 character? I love KI, but my CC will not suffer today.

I prefer wait for a bundle or at least a discount instead of buying now…

2 Likes