Crytek Throwing its Hat Into the MOBA Scene With Arena of Fate

[Steven Bogos]

Crytek Throwing its Hat Into the MOBA Scene With Arena of Fate

Crytek's Arena of Fate early access beta starts on PC this summer.

Crytek has announced that it is going to try its hand at the MOBA genre, with a new, pc-exclusive title called Arena of Fate. Arena of Fate will be a "free-to-play action strategy game" where teams of five square off against each other to gain control of an arena. While they didn't specifically call it a MOBA (which stands for "Multiplayer Online Battle Arena") it certainly fits the criteria (and even has "Arena" right there in the title).

As well as the teaser trailer, the game's official website [http://arenaoffate.com/#arena] reveals a bit more information about the game. Rather than original IP champions such as those featured in League of Legends or DoTA 2, it looks like the heroes of Arena of Fate will be drawn from various historical and folklore figures around the world.

For example, the five currently listed playable characters are Fenrir, Robin Hood, Tesla, Joan of Arc and Little Red Riding Hood.



You can actually sign up for the game's early access beta right now on the website, which Crytek says will start some time this summer. It also said that the game will be playable at E3.

Crytek is best known for making very shiny games that look impressive, but lack elsewhere. I'm interested to see what kind of MOBA they make - if it will stick to traditions like LoL and DOTA, or deviate from the formula like Blizzard's Heroes of The Storm.

Source: Crytek [http://arenaoffate.com/#arena]

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[PunkRex]

I know it's just an announcement trailer but that was the most useless thing i've ever watched, why not just post a date and concept art/screen shots instead of wasting time on something so pointless?

Also, original characters tend to be more memorable, to early to tell but these designs look bloody generic.

Did I really have that much hate for a 10 second trailer... when did I turn into such a grumpy puss?

 

[FancyNick]

Look, I'm a big fan of Dota and these sorts of games in general but there are just too many MOBAs/aRTSs. It's like FPSs a few years back. The industry finds a success story and replicates it ad nausium.

About the actual game: The characters for this one don't seem all that creative. All of them seem to be cartoonish versions of historical people and fairytale characters. Maybe I'm being too cynical about this, it could still be a great game.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Did I really have that much hate for a 10 second trailer... when did I turn into such a grumpy puss?

Because that's all people are putting out now. Useless CG trailers.

OT: I really don't think I'm gonna go form LoL to this. League already has the best microtransaction system in the gaming industry, and on top of that, it's a really polished and fleshed out game AND it has an Australian (OCE) server.

I predict this ending up like "Guardians of Middle-earth", it'll look good on the surface, but lack depth and try to shove microtransactions down your throat.

 

[mirage202]

Oh joy, yet another one.

Has nobody learned any lessons from years of trying to chase after WoW?

Replace WoW with LoL and history is repeating.

 

[Ferisar]

Did I really have that much hate for a 10 second trailer... when did I turn into such a grumpy puss?

Because that's all people are putting out now. Useless CG trailers.

OT: I really don't think I'm gonna go form LoL to this. League already has the best microtransaction system in the gaming industry, and on top of that, it's a really polished and fleshed out game AND it has an Australian (OCE) server.

I predict this ending up like "Guardians of Middle-earth", it'll look good on the surface, but lack depth and try to shove microtransactions down your throat.

I can praise League as much as the next guy given how long I've played it, but let's not say that it has the "best" anything when related to the microtransaction system. It's the baseline of what things should be: game impact only insofar as how quickly you can get champions and cosmetics to compensate. Pretty good by all counts, but it's not "the second coming".

Similarly, you can't fault any new MOBA for lacking depth. League on its release was a stand-out from its predecessor (DotA) largely through not having denying and the bush mechanic (which was really there to compensate for lack of terrain height at first). It didn't have many champions, nor were any of them "deep" in any particular manner. I'm glad it got bigger, but it's hard to take accusations of depth for games that don't even exist yet seriously, especially when "depth" is often reliant on meta-game creation by the playerbase in the first place, assuming the game mechanics support it.

OT:
I will parrot the sentiment of too many MOBA's being on the market right now. Based on how their playerbases work, it's hard to come out with these games and expect to get the next "piece of the digital pie", so to speak. League is fine, DotA 2 is also fine, Smite seems to have gotten a decent following, but there's going to be a line soon. People who play these games tend not to jump between games too often.

 

[synobal]

What is up with Joan of Arcs breasts and armor design? At first I thought she was power girl in boob armor.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Did I really have that much hate for a 10 second trailer... when did I turn into such a grumpy puss?

Because that's all people are putting out now. Useless CG trailers.

OT: I really don't think I'm gonna go form LoL to this. League already has the best microtransaction system in the gaming industry, and on top of that, it's a really polished and fleshed out game AND it has an Australian (OCE) server.

I predict this ending up like "Guardians of Middle-earth", it'll look good on the surface, but lack depth and try to shove microtransactions down your throat.

I can praise League as much as the next guy given how long I've played it, but let's not say that it has the "best" anything when related to the microtransaction system. It's the baseline of what things should be: game impact only insofar as how quickly you can get champions and cosmetics to compensate. Pretty good by all counts, but it's not "the second coming".

Similarly, you can't fault any new MOBA for lacking depth. League on its release was a stand-out from its predecessor (DotA) largely through not having last hitting and the bush mechanic (which was really there to compensate for lack of terrain height at first). It didn't have many champions, nor were any of them "deep" in any particular manner. I'm glad it got bigger, but it's hard to take accusations of depth from games that don't even exist yet, especially when "depth" is often reliant on meta-game creation by the playerbase in the first place, assuming the game mechanics support it.

It wasn't an accusation, it was a prediction. Though I do get what you're saying about depth being developed over time.

When it comes to microtransactions though, I can't see anything better beyond limiting it to purely cosmetic things like Dota2. However the problem I noticed when playing Dota2 is that people kept picking random heroes they had no idea how to play adn knew nothing about, rather than in League where you earn ip, research the champions that look interesting, and buy one and stick with him/her/it for a while. Though whether you consider either method a good or bad thing is up tot he individual I suppose

 

[Dr.Awkward]

Remember when Crytek was on the cutting edge of at least something? You know, when Cevat Yerli was proud of his development team? Seems to me EA's picked this team clean of acutal innovation and broke Yerli into giving in.

I won't be surprised if it's another once-great dev team in EA's infamous pile of dead within five years...

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

But how am I supposed to use this to benchmark my system?

Seriously, though, the MOBA market may not be hypersaturated the way the FPS market is, but can Crytek actually bring something new? (Not that I'd be playing this either way; there's a reason that, to me, MOBA stands for "Miscreant Ogres Bitching Anonymously".)

 

[Ferisar]

It wasn't an accusation, it was a prediction. Though I do get what you're saying about depth being developed over time.

When it comes to microtransactions though, I can't see anything better beyond limiting it to purely cosmetic things like Dota2. However the problem I noticed when playing Dota2 is that people kept picking random heroes they had no idea how to play adn knew nothing about, rather than in League where you earn ip, research the champions that look interesting, and buy one and stick with him/her/it for a while. Though whether you consider either method a good or bad thing is up tot he individual I suppose

That's fair. Forgive my tone, it was hastily written.

I don't disagree that its microtransaction system is good, but it really does serve as a very baseline "ideal". It doesn't exploit the user and largely makes its money through neat cosmetics. We can go into the details of how much selection there is (still a lack of announcer packs, etc etc), but as a whole it serves itself well.

And yeah, whether DotA's "you have everything forever" thing is actually better insofar as learning goes is subjective, but as a pure time investment, it's superior just because there's never a "need" to unlock anything. This is doubly so when you consider the necessity of reaching max level in League to have a competitive chance (which is, again, a good thing for learning but a bad thing for time required).

I'm willing to give this new thing a chance, although they have a good bit of checklisting before they can even get me excited (microtransactions that aren't shit, something mechanically new, original setting, original characters, observer-mode, replays, etc etc ad infinitum). I might also be sick of MOBAs, especially so with Heroes of the Storm looming on the horizon. This is just adding to that same pile.

 

[Grape_Nuts]

I don't even play LoL anymore, but I couldn't help but notice how the characters lack originality.

Fenrir = Warwick
Robin Hood = Ashe
Tesla = Heimerdinger
Joan of Arc = Fiora
Little Red Riding = Annie

 

[J Tyran]

I won't be surprised if it's another once-great dev team in EA's infamous pile of dead within five years...

Crytek would probably be better off being changed from a game development team to a technology team, they haven't made a great game in ages and have managed a few "okay" games and a number of stinkers but they are good at putting engines together and developing graphics technology.

 

[Ferisar]

I don't even play LoL anymore, but I couldn't help but notice how the characters lack originality.

Fenrir = Warwick
Robin Hood = Ashe
Tesla = Heimerdinger
Joan of Arc = Fiora
Little Red Riding = Annie

Uh...

What?
You do know who those characters are, right?

... Right?

 

[PMAvers]

Always interesting to see new MOBAs.

If just because they might bring some new ideas to the table. Holding off on breaking out the pitchforks until there's some actual information on how it plays.

 

[Grape_Nuts]

I don't even play LoL anymore, but I couldn't help but notice how the characters lack originality.

Fenrir = Warwick
Robin Hood = Ashe
Tesla = Heimerdinger
Joan of Arc = Fiora
Little Red Riding = Annie

Uh...

What?
You do know who those characters are, right?

... Right?

I was obviously NOT referring to the actual fictional/historic characters. Everybody knows them.

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

If there was one thing the world needed, it was more MOBAs. Wake me up when this era of gaming is over.

 

[Kaimax]

So, they're sorta copying SMITE, with existing characters, but with Famous people, Heroes and fairytale instead of Gods.
I suck at DoTA and of course LoL, Hon, and the other copycats. SMITE is the only MOBA that I can be good at.

......Why is Fenrir using a Club Axe...He has effing Teeth and Claws...

 

[Ferisar]

I don't even play LoL anymore, but I couldn't help but notice how the characters lack originality.

Fenrir = Warwick
Robin Hood = Ashe
Tesla = Heimerdinger
Joan of Arc = Fiora
Little Red Riding = Annie

Uh...

What?
You do know who those characters are, right?

... Right?

I was obviously NOT referring to the actual fictional/historic characters. Everybody knows them.

That's what I mean though. They embody those archetypes. They HAVE embodied those archetypes for a lot longer. Who do you think Annie is based on? Lol.

 

[Grape_Nuts]

I don't even play LoL anymore, but I couldn't help but notice how the characters lack originality.

Fenrir = Warwick
Robin Hood = Ashe
Tesla = Heimerdinger
Joan of Arc = Fiora
Little Red Riding = Annie

Uh...

What?
You do know who those characters are, right?

... Right?

I was obviously NOT referring to the actual fictional/historic characters. Everybody knows them.

That's what I mean though. They embody those archetypes. They HAVE embodied those archetypes for a lot longer. Who do you think Annie is based on? Lol.

I'm just saying I was hoping for something fresh. Not the same archtypes with slightly different looks and different names.