Don't call it a comeback. No, really, don't.

The Culling has seen its fair share of ups and even more downs. It has been created and killed off twice already in various forms. Now it's back for a third go, starting with a release on the Xbox One. A PC release of this iteration of the game is also planned, but I cannot imagine too many people will care.

The first Culling was a battle royal game that set itself apart from the other battle royal games thanks to its focus on melee combat. It was alright, but it never managed to hit the player counts that games like Fortnite or PUBG still regularly see even now. As player numbers dwindled, developer Xaviant announced that they were halting development on the original game.

At the same time that Xaviant announced that they were ceasing development on The Culling, the studio announced The Culling 2. This sequel would ditch the melee focus and instead try to go in hard on long-range engagements. They were really trying hard to capture the PUBG crowd. Ultimately, that failed. In fact, it failed after just a few weeks of public availability. To be even less generous, The Culling 2 had just one player still playing after being out for just two days.

Xaviant then re-released the first game under the title of The Culling: Origins. This was a free-to-play release of the game that came out back in September 2018. It lasted until May of 2019 when it was again shut down.

Well, guess what? The Culling is back again for a third go (ignoring the failed attempt at a sequel). The Culling: Origins hits the Xbox One first, on May 14th, and man does it ever have one of the dumbest purchasing models ever.

Those who never played the game before will have to purchase a copy. Those who played the original or played it when it was a F2P release will get you part of the new release. Regardless as to whether you are given a "free" copy from your previous purchase or you buy a new copy, you will only get to play just a single match every day. If you want to play more than one game, you'll have to spend tokens. Tokens can, you guessed it, be purchased with real money or by winning a match. Don't want to pay for tokens, then perhaps you're interested in checking out the Online Passes. These Passes allow you to play an unlimited number of matches for either 7 days or 30 days, depending on which one you want to purchase.

Let's break that down for you:

• If you don't yet own the game, you can purchase it for $5.99 (USD) (there is also a 1-day free trial)
  • If you did own the previous releases, you get this for free.
• Everyone will get to play just ONE game per day for free.
• You can purchase Online Match Tokens to play additional games
  • 3 tokens are $0.99
  • 10 tokens are $2.99
  • 20 tokens are $4.99
• You can alternatively purchase an Online Pass that provides you unlimited play...
  • 7 Day Pass is $1.99
  • 30 Day Pass is $5.99

Xaviant says that this new business model will allow them to "keep the game alive indefinitely." It'll probably be a complete ghost town, but at least the game world will exist online in some capacity? They also go on to say that all of your stats and unlocks are reset. Wow. What a great incentive for you to go and tackle a number of recurring expenditures?

Here is some media for the game. Come back in a week or two when we announce that the Xbox One release of the game has been shut down and the PC version cancelled.