Disney Dreamlight Valley’s first-ever showcase unveiled a ton of new features for the game, from the latest update on multiplayer to a sizable map expansion.
To kick things off, everyone’s favorite Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, will be arriving in the Valley on Dec. 5, 2023, along with the addition of the ValleyVerse. The ValleyVerse will be a part of DDV’s new multiplayer content, where players can visit each other’s magical worlds. You can show off your creations to your friends and family, similar to Animal Crossing, and visit Scrooge McDuck’s shop to access a different inventory selection.
On top of these features, the A Rift in Time expansion pack will also launch during the same period, bringing in an all-new world to the realm. Players will experience the wonders of the Eternity Isle as they fight to save it from the treacherous Jafar. Fortunately, a few friends are there to help along the way, including the characters WALL-E’s EVA, Tangled’s Rapunzel, and Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston (though he might just be selfishly helping himself.)
And you thought the Valley was full of mysteries to uncover…
Get ready to make your journey to Eternity Isle in Disney Dreamlight Valley’s expansion – A Rift In Time – coming December 5⌛️
There’s a plethora of new features to look forward to in this location, including the latest Royal Tool, ingredients, recipes, and critters. For instance, you can anticipate seeing capybaras, monkeys, and cobra snakes roaming around the Eternity Isle. Players can also wield the Royal Hourglass to reverse time and pull hidden treasures from another dimension.
Aside from the rest of the 2023 roadmap, we got the inside scoop on Disney Dreamlight Valley’s 2024 roadmap, beginning with the Monster Inc. realm. Then, Princess Tiana will make her debut in the summertime as the new talented chef in town.
While DDV will remain a paid game (free-to-play is no longer a part of the plan), it is certainly worth every penny with all the content shown during the showcase and everything else that’s already in the base game. There will undoubtedly be more content to look forward to as the Early Access period ends, and you can stay up-to-date on all the latest Disney Dreamlight Valley news on Twinfinite!
About the author
Kristina Ebanez
Kristina is a Staff Writer and has been with Twinfinite for more than a year. She typically covers Minecraft, The Sims 4, Disney Dreamlight Valley, anime, Call of Duty, and newly released games. She loves the Metal Gear Solid series (Snake Eater especially), Rockstar’s Bully, the Horizon franchise, What Remains of Edith Finch, and many more. Her dog is also an avid video game watcher, primarily when there’s a horse or a cat. She has a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and grew up gaming on the islands.
Disney Dreamlight Valley, the cozy life sim set in a magical world filled with iconic Disney characters, has been in Early Access since August 2022. It’s set to finally leave Early Access this December, but a recent blog post has divided fans: Disney Dreamlight Valley will not be free-to-play upon launch, despite developer Gameloft promising just that for more than a year.
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During the Early Access period, those who wanted to immerse themselves in one of Dreamlight Valley’s six Realms had to purchase one of three Founder’s packs, which gave them access to the game along with a collection of Moonstones (in-game currency) and in-game cosmetics. The Founder’s pack tiers were Standard ($30), Deluxe ($50), and Ultimate ($70), with the more expensive tiers offering more Moonstones and more cosmetics. Xbox Game Pass subscribers could enjoy Disney Dreamlight Valley for free, however.
Check Out Disney Dreamlight Valley (Standard) GameStop Check Out Disney Dreamlight Valley (Deluxe) Amazon Check Out Disney Dreamlight Valley (Deluxe / Ultimate): Xbox
Throughout the entirety of the Early Access period, Gameloft promised that, upon the December 5 launch, Disney Dreamlight Valley would shift to a free-to-play model with purchasable expansion options. An FAQ response that is still on the Gameloft site reads: “After Early Access, we have plans to add paid expansions that will add significant content to the game. These optional expansions will add new content (including characters) to the base game. However, we are currently focusing on delivering a great, complete experience first.”
But now, Gameloft says that won’t be the case. Instead, there are three launch editions: the $40 base game, a $50 physical Cozy Edition, and a $70 Gold Edition that includes the upcoming A Rift in Time expansion.
Disney Dreamlight Valley launch editions
Image: Disney / Gameloft
“As we look ahead to the official launch, with the learnings we’ve gained from Early Access, we’ve made the decision to remain a paid game for the foreseeable future. This means we will not make the transition to be a free-to-play game when we leave Early Access on December 5,” the Early Access update on the official Disney Dreamlight Valley site reads. “This choice ensures that Disney Dreamlight Valley will be able to continue delivering on a premium game experience for all players. It’s important to us that we maintain our promise to keep delivering free content updates that add new characters, realms, clothing, furniture, and more surprises to your Valley. Purchases requiring moonstones will remain optional, fair, and match the level of quality players have come to expect. Players will still be able to collect free Moonstones via Dream Snaps and Chests, or optionally choose to purchase them.”
Reactions from players have been mixed, with some praising the decision to avoid the messiness that is often standard with F2P microtransactions, and others lambasting the decision to renege on a year-long promise. “I didn’t buy it since I was waiting for free to play, guess I’m not buying it ever,” one X user wrote in a reply to my post asking for responses. Others, replying to the official post announcing the update, were confused as to how their Founder’s Edition purchases would carry over to the official game launch.
Though the update makes clear that Founder’s Edition owners will retain access to the game, get all unique cosmetic items from the Gold Edition free of charge, and receive 2,500 Moonstones, it seems that they will have to shell out the $30 for the expansion pack, even if they spent $70 on the Ultimate Edition Founder’s option. “Seems super scummy that founders/legacy players will have had to pay more, overall,” wrote a commenter on X.
Kotaku reached out to Gameloft for clarification and was directed back to the aforementioned blog post, which also stated that a November 1 live stream will provide more details on the expansion pass and future updates. Disney DreamlightValley launches on December 5 for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can buy Founder’s Editions up through December 4.
