Seeing the HoYoverse name might immediately have you worried about your wallet. After all, the company has made its name with character-collecting gacha games thanks to Genshin Impact and Zenless Zone Zero. However, its latest, grittier endeavor has a bit of a twist that should relieve action game fans everywhere. HoYoverse has confirmed that Nodusfall will be free-to-play, but the best part is, you won’t have to pray to the RNGod to obtain its characters.
At Gamescom 2026, the Nodusfall developer team confirmed that it’s being designed as a free-to-play game, albeit for a ‘long-term’ experience. Unlike its anime counterparts, new Weavers won’t be locked behind random gacha pulls. “Nodusfall will be a free-to-play, long-term game. What we can share at this time is that characters are not obtained through random draws,” HoYoverse said to PC Gamer. “We hope to allow players to unlock this core gameplay experience through continued play.”
That doesn’t mean HoYoverse will be giving out everything through gameplay alone, of course. Instead, cosmetics appear to be one potential focus for monetization. It added, “Cosmetic monetization is an important avenue we will be considering.”
This seems to be backed by PC Gamer’s hands-on experience during the event. The Gamescom demo is said to have featured four playable Weavers, each customizable with different outfits, hairstyles, and accessories. So Fashion Hunters might still need to open their wallet for some fancy monster-slaying drip.
It might be another way for Nodusfall to carve out its own identity. Giant boss fights featured in the Gamescom trailer immediately invite Monster Hunter and Elden Ring comparisons, instead of the company’s usual anime-styled tropes. Although it’s still accompanied by today’s familiar action RPG mechanics, like gear sets, skill trees, and open-world exploration.
One thing has been answered, but plenty of questions remain. The company hasn’t announced a release date or confirmed whether mobile is being left behind for PC and consoles. But for a free-to-play game, at the very least, HoYoverse isn’t planning to put the actual monster slayers behind RNG.
