Showcase at Disney Dreamlight Valley Unveils: New Characters What’s in store for “A Rift in Time,” a paid expansion including Jack Skellington and Tiana, and an Apple Arcade Edition

Ahead of the Gameloft game’s transition from its year-long “early access” phase to a global launch, Disney Dreamlight Valley held its first-ever showcase presentation on Wednesday. 

There, plans for the life-simulation through late 2024 were unveiled in two roadmaps: one for paid expansion content and another for free upgrades included with the purchase of the base game.

Following last week’s revelation that Gameloft had abandoned intentions to offer the game free-to-play after it concluded beta testing in favour of setting price tiers and an extra fee for the game’s first expansion, “A Rift in Time,” the event was webcast live. 

There were other developments on Disney Dreamlight Valley’s future, such as the game’s impending release on Apple Arcade, the company’s subscription gaming service.

The base game and the “A Rift in Time” expansion will be included in the Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition when it launches globally on December 5 on Apple’s service. However, it won’t have access to the Premium Shop or Starpath features of Disney Dreamlight Valley.

The creators of “A Rift in Time” say that players will be sent outside of the Valley to a new area called Eternity Isle, where the new primary opponent is “Aladdin” villain Jafar. The addition costs $29.99 and needs the basic game to play. 

The expansion will be released in three phases. Those who acquire the expansion pass at launch will have access to additional stories in the spring of 2024 and the summer of the following year.

Though the paid expansion took centre stage during the showcase, the developers also revealed a number of details regarding the free updates and future plans for the base game. 

These details include the addition of Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to Dreamlight Valley on December 5th, the discovery of Pixar’s Mike Waszowski and Sully in a “Monsters, Inc.” realm in late winter 2024, and the addition of Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog” in the summer.

During the showcase, the eagerly anticipated multiplayer feature—which came with the base game’s Dec. 5 update—was shown off. It was confirmed that the so-called “ValleyVerse” would let users trade goods and shop in each other’s in-game valley stores, which are run by Scrooge McDuck.

Three new biomes and three new characters will be included in the expansion: Ancient’s Landing, home to Eve from “Wall-E,” The Glittering Dunes, home to Gaston from “Beauty and the Beast,” and The Wild Tangle, home to Rapunzel from “Tangled

These biomes will include fresh fauna (such as capybaras, cobras, and monkeys), as well as goods for gardening and foraging (such as strawberries, “fantasy fig,” and cinnamon). They will also open new culinary possibilities (such as poutine, latkes, biryani, and arepas).

The Hourglass, which the developers claim will enable players to “sense hidden treasure” in Eternity Isle, Dreamlight Valley, and the realms inside Dreamlight Valley’s castle, will be available to players as part of the “Rift in Time” expansion. This will be the first new royal tool available to players since Disney Dreamlight Valley made its debut in September 2022.

With the addition, players will be able to transport Eternity Isle individuals and objects back to Dreamlight Valley, including brand-new “ancient machines” that will let you automate chores like cooking and watering a garden.

Users of “A Rift in Time” will also be able to participate in in-game board games.

The initial Founder’s packs for Disney Dreamlight Valley were available for $29.99 for the Standard version, $49.99 for the Deluxe edition, and $69.99 for the Ultimate edition. The higher tiers came with more moonstones and in-game exclusives. On December 4, Founder’s packs will no longer be available.

Disney Dreamlight Valley will premiere globally on December 5 and provide many paid tiers, with the higher levels containing both the core game and extra features. The base game alone will set you back $39.99. It has no access to new story-advancing expansion packs or special content.

The main game is included in each of those editions, along with special in-game goods. The expansion pack “A Rift in Time” is exclusive to the Gold Edition.

The Founder’s Pack, the current paid version of the game offered during early access at multiple tier levels, will be retired on December 4th, but any current Disney Dreamlight Valley players who purchased it before then will receive “all unique cosmetic items included in the upcoming Gold Edition free of charge.” 

2,500 moonstones will also be awarded to each founder’s player. The “A Rift in Time” expansion pack, which will still cost current players $29.99 to play, is not included in that deal, though.