Magicka gets a touch of MOBA in 'Wizard Wars'
The mages of Magicka are headed to the online arena in a multiplayer-focused, four-on-four PVP battle game called Magicka: Wizard Wars. Paradox's announcement doesn't mention the genre explicitly, but the new game sounds like it falls under Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA).
In Magicka: Wizard Wars, two teams of four wizards duel to the death using Magicka's established spell-crafting system as the foundation for combat. The game is differentiated by "short battles, persistent character progression, and plenty of laughter."
Magicka: Wizard Wars is in development at Paradox North, a new studio in Stockholm under the banner of Paradox Interactive. The studio is composed of former DICE and Avalanche Studios talent, and led by executive vice president John Hargelid.
Show full PR text
Paradox North Casts Forbidden Magick on Online Multiplayer Games with Magicka: Wizard Wars
New Title from New Studio Destroys Old Friendships in New Ways
NEW YORK - March 25, 2013 - Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a manufacturer of flammable nightwear, today unveiled the existence of Magicka: Wizard Wars, a player-- versus-‐player (PvP)-‐focused multiplayer game based on their celebrated slapstick sorcery franchise. Magicka: Wizard Wars, a team-‐based, fast-‐paced, two-‐faced, post-‐haste, four-‐on-‐ four twitch action-‐PvP title, mixes Magicka's hallmark dynamic spellcasting and absurd pop-‐ culture humor with new hardcore game mechanics and a focus on competitive play.
This game will be the first title developed by Paradox North, a new studio within Paradox Interactive comprised of industry veterans with extensive experience in game creation and wizard staff repair. The development team at Paradox North is composed of former members of reputable Stockholm-‐based development studios both AAA and indie, and they all look really nice in robes.
In Magicka: Wizard Wars, two teams of four wizards each will go head-‐to-‐lightning-‐bolt on the field of battle, wielding a wealth of magic spells as players adapt their tactics on the fly in response to their opponents. In true Magicka fashion, victory will go to the team whose wizards can combine the craftiest casts – and who can avoid the most friendly fire. With short battles, persistent character progression, and plenty of laughter, Magicka: Wizard Wars is perfect for a few quick games to unwind after work – or a forty-‐hour binge over the weekend. Paradox promises not to judge.
A new trailer for Magicka: Wizard Wars reveals what happens to our robed heroes when winter is coming (the game may or may not arrive in winter). Watch the trailer here: http://youtu.be/DXg59hBUs_Y
"Magicka has always allowed for some unique gameplay and, with Wizard Wars, we've really captured the true experience of PvP wizardry," said John Hargelid, Executive VP of Paradox North. "When you put the team-‐focused, hardcore competition of online games together with characters whose attacks are fluid and dynamic – and then give teammates the ability to implode, freeze, and fling each other by accident – it's really something special to watch, and to play, and to yell at your friends about afterwards."
