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University adds League of Legends team to its athletic program
Could being at wiz video games get you a scholarship and a college degree? As far-fetched of a dream as that may seem, it's now becoming a reality at one institute of higher learning. Robert Morris University in Illinois announced today that it will be forming an official League of Legends varsity team as part of its athletic program for the 2014-15 academic year. Team members will be treated on the same level as other athletes, meaning that they're eligible for tutoring, support, and scholarships. The team is a result of the university's associate athletic director's love of competitive PC gaming and acknowledgement that it requires the same level of teamwork as other sports. "Although e-sports have long been a part of the culture of gaming, competitions have seen a large surge in popularity in recent years," the university posted. "Robert Morris University recognizes the value and legitimacy of e-sports and is excited to add e-sports to its already rich athletic program."
Riot seeks 'culturally aligned' devs, offers cash payouts for quitting
League of Legends developer Riot has unveiled an initiative called Queue Dodge which is designed to strengthen the gamemaker's workforce and "reinforce" its internal culture. "We operate on a foundation of shared mission, values, passion, trust, and mutual respect," says the company's announcement post. "If someone gags on the unique flavor of our culture, they'd be doing themselves and the company a disservice to hang on just for the paycheck. Culturally aligned people and teams are more effective, and alignment around mission and values allows us to better serve players. We've designed Queue Dodge to help self-identified mismatches move on in an open, positive, and constructive way." Riot new-hires can opt in to the program during their first 60 days on the job. They will be paid 10 percent of their annual salary -- up to $25,000 -- to leave.
Supergirl lands in Infinite Crisis today
Turbine wants you to know that it has added Supergirl to DC-based MOBA Infinite Crisis. Supergirl is a bruiser "who loves getting up close and personal," the company says via press release. Said release offers a bit of the character's backstory, but more crucial for our purposes is a three-minute gameplay video. You can view it after the break! [Source: Turbine press release]
Crytek's Arena of Fate aims to change the MOBA as we know it
Crytek's new MOBA Arena of Fate is best described by our sister site Joystiq as a MOBA for people frustrated by MOBAs. Sitting down with Crytek Producer David Bowman at E3 this week, the Joystiq interview focuses on what makes AoF different from every other MOBA out there by removing the "toxic elements that exist in [...] some of the other products." How is this done, exactly? "The store is gone, getting the last hit on a minion doesn't matter, matches operate on a 20-minute countdown, and the first team to 10 points wins," according to the interview. Be sure to check out more on Arena of Fate as the game approaches beta later this summer.
Crytek's Arena of Fate is a MOBA for people frustrated by MOBAs
Imagine a first-person shooter game without a sprint or jump button - moment to moment you're still fragging your friends or foes, but the experience is just a touch more streamlined. Now imagine the same principle applied to a MOBA: The store is gone, getting the last hit on a minion doesn't matter, matches operate on a 20-minute countdown, and the first team to 10 points wins. In other words, a MOBA without many of the features that make ... well, a MOBA. Meet Crytek's Arena of Fate, a 5v5 MOBA which has been designed to reduce the conflict players experience not only with each other, but with the game itself. In the words of Crytek Publisher Producer David Bowman, AoF places strategic decisions into the metagame while pushing tactical decisions into immediate gameplay. Non-MOBA translation: Less homework, more crushing your enemies.
Crytek MOBA Arena of Fate will pull 30 characters from history's pages
Arena of Fate, Crytek's entry into the fast-growing MOBA genre, will feature 30 characters pulled from real-world history and legends, a company rep told Joystiq at E3. Little Red Riding Hood, Fenrir, Jack The Ripper and King Richard The Lionheart were all mentioned during a press briefing, while screenshots you can check out below include characters such as Arachne, Blackbeart, Grendel, the Chupacabra, Baron Samedi, Polyphemus, Van Helsing and Robin Hood. A press release issued last month announcing the game also listed Baron Münchausen and Frankenstein among the game's roster. That's 14 down, 16 to go. Mayhaps we'll see the awesome, incredible, mythical Jackalope when the game comes to PC and consoles [Image: Crytek]
E3 2014: See Dawngate's 'badass bookish nerds' honored in a new video
Dawngate is looking to bring a little something different to the MOBA field, as evidenced in its catchphrase, "break the meta." In a new video, Waystone Games devs list off several reasons why Dawngate isn't your average MMO. These include more of a focus on flexible team strategy, an epic storyline, and even the embrace of "badass bookish nerd" characters. Is this all just big bluster or shrewd design strategy? Check out the video after the jump and let us know what you think.
EVE Evolved: Growing the EVE Universe
For much of EVE Online's early history, the playerbase saw consistent organic growth with no end in sight and developer CCP Games was able to stay laser-focused on its single game. The EVE universe has even had to grow several times to accomodate the increase in players, most notably with the opening of the drone nullsec regions and Apocrypha's addition of 2,499 hidden wormhole systems. EVE has survived the launch of countless high-profile MMOs in its lifetime and even weathered the monumental industry shift toward free-to-play business models, but it hasn't been plain sailing. While subscriptions have reportedly grown year-on-year, EVE's average concurrent player numbers haven't really increased since 2009. The active EVE playerbase isn't really growing, so it should come as no surprise that CCP has been trying to expand the EVE universe on other fronts. Though the first attempt with console FPS DUST 514 was an unmitigated disaster, EVE players still seem quietly optimistic about its PC reboot as EVE: Legion. Dogfighter EVE: Valkyrie has also piqued the interest of the emerging virtual reality community and has the potential to introduce EVE to thousands of fresh faces. EVE's Creative Director Torfi Frans Olafsson even hinted during Fanfest 2014 that EVE Online, Valkyrie and Legion might all share a single login and that characters may eventually be able to switch between games at will. In this edition of EVE Evolved, I look at why I think a shared login could be a stroke a genius, and interview EVE's Creative Director and Valkyrie's Executive Producer to find out what the future holds for the EVE universe.
SMITE packs its bags for Latin America and Brazil
SMITE will be coming to Latin America and Brazil, Hi-Rez Studios announced today. Hi-Rez has teamed up with publisher Level Up to release the MOBA in Central and South America. There are no dates for this release as of yet, but the beta will begin in that region later this year after the localization has been completed. Players from those countries who have accounts on a NA or EU server will be allowed to transfer to Level Up servers at that time. Teams from Latin America and Brazil have been invited to participate in the SMITE World Championship in January 2015. [Thanks to Soren for the tip!]
Tracing the history of the MOBA
You hear the kids talking about League of Legends and Infinite Crisis and Heroes of Newerth and you don't understand. You aren't clear on what stuff like jungling and lanes are all about. Are you getting old? Well, yes, if you're referring to a group of people as "the kids" you almost certainly are. But you also might just not understand the history of MOBAs as a genre, a history helpfully outlined in an article on the genre from inception to the present. The article traces the genre's genesis back to the earliest form of gameplay found in StarCraft's Aeon of Strife map, which paved the way for a Warcraft III map that expanded the same basic concept. The genre's core conceits -- two bases on either side of the map, players working to push to the other side -- have remained fairly fixed through the various permutations, but there's still room for expansion. So if you want to find out more about what this new-fangled genre is all about, sit down for some reading.
Vainglory announced as a tablet-focused MOBA
The MOBA arena is crowded, but the number of MOBAs you can play on your tablet is slightly more limited. Super Evil Megacorp, a new studio founded by veterans of Riot Games and Rockstar, is aiming to expand that number with its upcoming title Vainglory. Billed as the ultimate tablet MOBA, the preview trailer released today shows off a handful of the game's characters, environments, and attacks. Vainglory is currently in limited release, with more information to come as it nears its full release on the iOS app store. The developers are also stressing that the game will deliver a full-featured experience for players despite being on tablets. So if you've got an iPad and just can't get enough arena combat, check out the trailer just past the break.
Skara: The Blade Remains looks to fund a 2014 release
Skara: The Blade Remains is building momentum to fully fund the title for a 2014 launch. The crossbreed of RPG and MOBA is now on Kickstarter, looking to raise $35,000 by July 4. The game is already mostly done and will hit Steam Early Access next month, but 8-Bit Studios' CEO says that this will ensure an even better end product. "We already have a game to offer, but our vision for Skara: The Blade Remains is so much bigger. That's why we are doing a Kickstarter that will offer our backers great rewards if they join us for the wild ride that is game development," said Pablo Rodriguez. We've got the new trailer for Skara after the break in case you're looking for some persuasion before dropping money on the game.
SMITE makes all gods playable this weekend
Let it not be said that SMITE discriminates between deities. Forsooth, this weekend the MOBA will be unlocking all of its gods for players to play for free. The "Ultimate God Weekend" starts today and runs through Monday, June 2nd. It even includes the brand-new god Janus as a playable selection. [Thanks to Soren for the tip!]
Infinite Crisis shows off Atrocitus
The Red Lanterns are a pretty mad bunch. That's not to say that they're crazy, that's to say that they are collectively very angry and in fact use that anger to fuel their power rings. (Along with blood.) So it should come as no surprise that the upcoming Infinite Crisis character Atrocitus is himself quite angry, being the leader of the Red Lantern Corps and a font of raging destruction. When he goes live on June 11th, players will have a chance to take his angry antics into the arena. Right off the bat, Atrocitus is different -- he has no Will meter, instead using Rage to fuel him. Rage is gained by dealing or taking damage, with his skills being free and turning into a more powerful version once the Rage meter is half-full. Those skills include an attack buff, a taunt for drones, a pull and taunt for other heroes, and a cone debuff and DoT as an ultimate. Check out the big guy in action in the video past the cut. [Source: Turbine Entertainment press release]
SMITE's newest addition is Janus, the god of portals and transitions
Hi-Rez is busily adding more stuff to SMITE, and this week's update will include the new god Janus, a revamped Mountain Man Odin skin, new ward skins, and a Team Solomid Apollo skin in honor of SMITE's launch tourney victors. Janus is the god of portals and transitions, and you can learn all about him in the clip after the cut. [Thanks Soren!]
Blizzard: Sexy Heroes of the Storm characters 'not sending a message'
Blizzard is about fun and fantasy, not about preaching diversity, the studio said. Polygon pulled quotes from Heroes of the Storm Game Director Dustin Browder in which he defended the sexualization of the MOBA's female characters by claiming that, "We're not sending a message. Nobody should look to our game for that." He also claimed that he didn't "get the applications" of specifically hiring female developers for the title. Browder later apologized for those remarks. But this month, Blizzard Executive Producer Rob Pardo acknowledged that the studio still struggles in its portrayal of women, explaining that "most of [Blizzard's] developers are guys who grew up reading comics books." "We're not trying to bring in serious stuff, or socially relevant stuff, or actively trying to preach for diversity, or do things like that," Pardo said.
Disney shutters Star Wars Attack Squadrons
Disney has just announced that Star Wars Attack Squadrons will cease operations in the wake of its closed beta test. A message on the official site reads, "We want to thank all of the fans who participated in the closed beta of Star Wars: Attack Squadrons. After much consideration, we have decided to cease development so that we can focus on other Star Wars game experiences. We truly appreciate the time you spent engaging in the beta." The company first revealed the game in December 2013 as a Star Wars dogfighting space combat title set in pseudo-MMO-like 16-player environments.
May SMITE's odds be doubled in your favor this weekend
SMITE's odds may not be ever in your favor, but at least they are this weekend thanks to a double favor event. Hi-Rez is also gifting players with 10 free cash shop gems for every first win of the day. The promotion, when paired with SMITE's numerous game modes, means that "there are tons of gems to be earned this weekend" on top of the double favor for each game played. [Thanks Soren!]
Crytek's 'Arena of Fate' pits Robin Hood against Joan of Arc
Crytek announced a new MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) game for PC and consoles today, Arena of Fate. The game gives players the chance to jump into 5-vs-5 battles using iconic characters from popular folklore and history like Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, Little Red Riding Hood, Frankenstein and Norse beast Fenrir. Arena of Fate is free to play and scheduled to enter its beta phase on PC this summer, with no word on which consoles the CryEngine-based game will eventually arrive on. Those interested in joining the game's beta can sign up on its official website. [Image: Crytek]
Crytek reveals quirky new MOBA Arena of Fate
Good news, everyone! Crytek heard that the world needed another MOBA and is here to provide one in Arena of Fate. At least it's got a unique IP; players will be slipping into the shoes of characters from history and legend as varied as Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper, and Baron Münchhausen. "Imagine Joan of Arc and Robin Hood cooperating to hunt down Little Red Riding Hood. Wouldn't that be terrific?" asks Game Director Vesselin Handjiev. "But besides the game's iconic heroes, which everyone in the team really loves, we are also challenging ourselves to carefully craft a streamlined player experience that allows for both greater accessibility, and rich, deep, action-packed gameplay." The game will be playable on both PC and consoles and at this year's E3. PC players can already sign up for this summer's planned early access beta test. We've got the announcement trailer below! [Source: Crytek press release]
