One of biggest studios in the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) space is now establishing itself as a force in the shooter category.
Paladins, a team-based shooter with fantasy elements (that competes with games like Overwatch), has reached 5 million players worldwide, according to developer Hi-Rez Studios. That’s the same team responsible for Smite, which is in a fight for the No. 3 most-played MOBA after League of Legends and Dota 2. Paladins debuted on the PC gaming portal Steam in August, and it regularly lands among the top 20 most-played games on that platform. That makes it well positioned to take advantage of microtransaction spending in the $99.6 billion global gaming industry. Hi-Rez still has Paladins in a testing phase, and it will likely enter its full release at some point in 2017.
“The early success of Paladins is a result of a passionate community that helped us through months of closed-beta testing,” Hi-Rez chief operating officer Todd Harris said in a statement. “It is great to see such a strong early response, and what we have now is only the beginning as the dev team is releasing a significant new update every two weeks”.
Those updates are one way that Hi-Rez is keeping players engaged and coming back regularly to the game. Another way the studio is enticing fans is with a growing esports scene.
June 5th: The AI Audit in NYC
Join us next week in NYC to engage with top executive leaders, delving into strategies for auditing AI models to ensure fairness, optimal performance, and ethical compliance across diverse organizations. Secure your attendance for this exclusive invite-only event.
Beginning January 5, Hi-Rez will hold the eight-team Paladins Invitational Tournament in Atlanta. Those squads from around the Earth will compete over $150,000 in prize money. Every match will stream live from the developer’s Expo set to the game’s official Twitch channel.
