KurtzPel Steam page live, Early Access in Q1 2019, isn’t free-to-play?

KOG has just opened the KurtzPel Steam page and has announced that the Early Access is scheduled for Q1 2019. The official release is planned for 2019.

Player feedback from Early Access will be used to improve the game, and new classes, PvP and PvE content will be added during this phase. The official release will include more classes, Heroic NPCs to interact with, a new multiplayer PvP mode, new PvP rank-based systems and overall improvements for classes and quality of life.

KurtzPel's Early Access will include a character customization and dye system, four PvP modes, four character classes with eight skill types each, three PvE modes, and a Community-Based Lobby Town called Eltheca.

However, KurtzPel's Early Access will be paid, but we weren't expecting the final release to be buy-to-play. As the Early Access FAQ mentions, this could turn out to be the case, something unusual for a publisher of free-to-play games such as Grand Chase, Lost Saga and HeroWarz. Read on and make your own conclusions:

“Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?”

“Yes, after Early Access, the prices will be adjusted based on analysis pertaining to qualitative and quantitative value of the featured content we'll be providing. However, we will make sure that all of our early supporters are rewarded. For those who have purchased the Early Access version of KurtzPel, those players will still be able to access their Early Access content in the Final Release Version without having to purchase that same content again.”