Today Stunlock Studios announced plans to extend Battlerite's Early Access into late 2017, citing the need to spin up a larger team, fine tune the game, and add new features and heroes.

 In the long run we are confident that our efforts will ensure the longevity of Battlerite for several years ahead but we will need more time to develop our internal processes while expanding Battlerite with new features, content and improvements. Because of this, we are now aiming for a Free-To-Play release in late 2017. 

...

There are several aspects of Battlerite that we want to improve before a Free-To-Play release. In the near future we will release the first version of our overhauled Ranking System, a new Champion and several quality of life updates. 

In 2017 you can expect several new exciting features and updates to the game experience. In addition to this there will be updates and improvements to existing in-game systems such as an improved quest system, detailed profiles, ranking and season system updates, Odeum improvements and more. 

Community backlash to the announcement was swift, with many voicing fears that the game won't be able to sustain its population and momentum over such a long period. 

Stunlock seems to be a victim of its own success; caught between providing value for its $US 19.99 Early Access pricepoint and maintaining player populations after a wildly successful free access weekend (with over 58.8 years of game time played, by their numbers - below), and in the meantime taking care of all the stuff no player sees to ensure a game's long term success.

We laud Stunlock's decision to be transparent with their community (and, for full disclosure, note that Stunlock has advertised with us in the past). But 11 pages of mostly RIP comments (and growing) will show why most developers stick to Soon(tm).  

Nonetheless, Battlerite's success shows that there's a deep need for this kind of fast-action MOBA. If others can't fill it in the meantime, Battlerite will be in a great position to deliver.

See the thread unfold in Battlerite Steam community announcements.