It has been a long time since Valve released a brand new IP, and if you were hoping for that to happen, you might be in for a wait. However, it seems that in the meantime, the company is looking to leverage its existing IP by announcing the launch of a new game based on the Dota franchise called “Underlords”.This isn’t actually a new game per se as it is based on the Dota Auto Chess mod. It had been reported earlier this year that the company could be interested in launching its own version, and sure enough they have in the form of Underlords.
Accordin to Valve’s description of the game, “Dota Underlords is a new stand-alone game that pits you against seven opponents in a battle of wits that will have you building, combining, and leveling-up a crew in a battle of dominance for the city of White Spire. In this game, victory is determined not by twitch reflexes, but by superior tactics.”
The game is currently in beta and will be available to those who have the Dota 2 Battle Pass. This means that non-Battle Pass owners will not be able to get their hands on the game, at least not yet. This is also not the first time Valve has created a game based on Dota. The company had previously launched the Artifact card game which showed a lot of potential, thanks to the help of Richard Garfield, best known for being the creator of Magic: the Gathering.
However, the company’s choices on how to monetize the game was met with heavy criticism which could have hampered its success. Hopefully, Valve has learnt their lesson and will be less aggressive with Underlords.
Filed in . Read more about Dota 2 and Valve. Source: blog.dota2