The Indie studio, Robotoki, has decided to ditch their planned free-to-play model for Human Element. They now plan to release the game as a paid product in November of 2015. As a result of this move, Robotoki had to end its publishing agreement with Nexon. They have also, unfortunately, laid off a portion of its staff as a result of this change.

The Founder of Robotoki, Robert Bowling, issued a statement on this move.
"As the game evolved we realized that the elements that make Human Element the most fun would be hindered by keeping it a free-to-play experience.

"Therefore, we made the decision to switch to a premium experience for our players; which also meant that working with the premier publisher in free-to-play was no longer the best partnership fit for the game we were creating."

A representative from Nexon also issued a statement on the separation from Robotoki.
"Nexon and Robotoki have come to a mutual decision to end their publishing agreement for the game Human Element," stated a Nexon America representative. "As development of the project progressed the direction of the game naturally evolved, and it no longer aligns with the Nexon portfolio."

Robotoki has already found a new publisher for their game. They anticipate that they will make the announcement next month on just who that new publisher is.

(via Gamasutra)