The free-to-play (F2P) model is a popular one amongst developers and publishers these days, simply because it encourages gamers to check out the game and invest their time into it, after which hopefully they will be tempted to make in-game purchases. These are gamers that might have otherwise not bothered to play the game because they don’t want to pay upfront for it.It is also a model that has turned dwindling paid-for games into successful F2P ones, such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Evolve. However if you thought that Bungie had suddenly decided to take Destiny down the F2P route, you might be disappointed to learn that is not true and that is not happening.
This is due to some listings of the game which have shown it to be “free”, leading to confusion amongst gamers. Bungie has since released a statement clarifying the matter. “The original Destiny adventure may appear to be free on some digital console marketplaces. While players may download the Destiny base game, they will only be granted access to the Destiny Trial Mode for free.”
They add, “If players wish to progress through the original Destiny adventure via digital download, they will be required to purchase Destiny – The Collection to gain access to this content.” Basically Destiny will still be a paid-for title for now, and it doesn’t look like there are any signs that this will be changing, so either decide to pay for the game, or you can wait for the day that Bungie may or may not make it a F2P title.