Trackmania 2: Canyon to be “free to stay”

Trackmania 2: Canyon international product manager Edouard Beauchemin recently talked about the upcoming racer and how the booming business of free-to-play games would affect it. The fact is, it won’t.

Speaking at publisher Ubisoft’s Summer Showcase, Beauchemin said free-to-play is “fashionable” but explained that that particular business model wouldn’t be suitable for Canyon, which he referred to as being a “free to stay” title.

“Free to play is so fashionable at the moment. People come up to us and are like, ‘Make Trackmania 2: Canyon‘s free to play,’ and we’re like ‘No – Trackmania Nations. That’s completely free-to-play. You don’t have to pay at any time. And we’re still looking at 700,000 different people playing the game each month,” said Beauchemin.

“We prefer to call Trackmania 2: Canyon ‘Free to Stay.’ You pay at the entrance and then you stay for as many years as you want. Unlimited content you can download for free from anywhere. You only have the in-game currency that you exchange with your friends through the in-game economy.”

He continued, “the spirit is good because you’re not saying ‘Oh! That person stole my item that I paid one Euro for. Give it back!’ It’s fun. It’s a game. You pay 20 Euro and you enjoy it.”

So, €20 (roughly $29) once, and we’re good to go. Trackmania 2: Canyon is set for a PC release later this year.