Killer Instinct Price Breakdown

Still confused about how much KI will cost? We've got the answers you seek.

At Gamescom in Germany, Microsoft and Double Helix Games announced the pricing structure for the new Killer Instinct title, set to release alongside the Xbox One on November 22. There are a variety of ways you can purchase the product, and many people are confused or simply uninformed when it comes to this information.

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To help clarify the pricing options, we’ve compiled all of the information available in a quick and easy article that should clear up some of the confusion.

First, you do not have to spend any money on Killer Instinct to be able to play the game. If you’re new to fighting games, or just reluctant to take the plunge on KI, you can download the game for free and play through all available modes with Jago. While a full list of game modes available at launch is not available, we know there will definitely be an online mode, as well as an in-depth training mode. While not confirmed, we also expect some sort of objective-based mission mode that may or may not be integrated into the training mode.

We know that a full-fledged story mode will not be available at launch, but there may be some sort of ladder climb or other basic single player mode. A full story mode will be available before March 2014. So if you’re not keen on spending money on Killer Instinct, you don’t have to. Simple play with Jago throughout all available modes. There has been discussion of rotating characters for players who don’t want to use Jago, but no firm details have been released. At best, we expect the free character to potentially rotate once a month or something similar.

For those people who can’t wait to buy the new Killer Instinct, or tried out Jago and want to play with more than one character, there are several ways to purchase the game. The best option is the $20 bundle, which gives you access to eight characters and story mode. Six of those characters will be available on day one, while the other two and story mode will be released as they’re ready, between launch and March 2014. The first of the two additional characters is expected to be available before the end of the year.

The full roster of characters has yet to be revealed, but we know Jago, Sabrewulf, Glacius, Thunder, and the mysterious new female character will be among the six available at launch. We expect to sixth character to be unveiled by Tokyo Game Show later this month. Each character comes with a corresponding stage as well. In addition, if the game performs well, a second round of characters and stages will be released throughout 2014.

While the $20 bundle is the recommended option, you can buy characters individually for $5. Luckily, you will never have to spend more than $20 on the initial set of characters and stages. Let’s say you purchase two characters, spending a total of $10. You can upgrade to the full $20 bundle for the remaining cost of $10. If you only purchased one character, the bundle price would be $15, and if you paid for three characters, the bundle would run $5. You will never be forced to spend more than $20 on the initial bundle whether you buy it in pieces or all at once.

Now, for the true Killer Instinct fans, there’s an optional $40 bundle. This bundle includes everything the $20 bundle offers, plus alternate costumes for each character (some more elaborate than others), accessories for each character (head pieces, armor, etc.), and an emulated version of the original arcade Killer Instinct. At launch, the arcade original will not include online play, but the dev team is hoping to add it at some point in the future. While it has yet to be confirmed, we expect consumers to be able to upgrade to the $40 bundle in the same manner they would upgrade to the $20 bundle.

There you have it. You can get Killer Instinct for free, spend as little as $5 on it, or as much as $40 depending on the content you desire. For most, the $20 bundle will probably be the way to go, but there are options for everyone.


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Author
Bryan Dawson
Bryan Dawson has an extensive background in the gaming industry, having worked as a journalist for various publications for nearly 20 years and participating in a multitude of competitive fighting game events. He has authored over a dozen strategy guides for Prima Games, worked as a consultant on numerous gaming-related TV and web shows and was the Operations Manager for the fighting game division of the IGN Pro League.