Smite 2: New gameplay and competitive approach

Titan Forge Gamesdeveloper of MOBA SMITEhas announced its next release, SMITE 2. It will be a sequel and will be accompanied by important changes for the esports circuit of the video game, such as new LAN events at the international level.

Following more than 10 years of updates, 130 heroes and regular esports tournaments.the developers have decided it’s time for a revamp. SMITE 2 was announced live during the SMITE World Championship being held in Arlington, Texas.

The main differences between the first and the second iteration of SMITE will be a massive migration from Unreal Engine 3 to Unreal Engine 5, a substantial revision of some of the game mechanics. and, due to technical changes, the impossibility for all cosmetics to migrate. that users purchased from one title to the other. However, a system called Legacy to give those who invested real money, in the original title, the same amount of premium coins. for the sequel.

Launch

The launch schedule has now been established: a period of. alpha testing in spring which will last throughout the summer, to be followed by a beta starting in the fall. The definitive launch date is still to be determined, but could be set for end of the year.

The SMITE esports scene is organized around the circuit. SMITE Pro Leagueled by the developers. Now, with SMITE 2 many things are going to change starting in early spring, such as the arrival of the Founder Series.

The SMITE 2 Founders Series will start during SMITE 2 alpha testing. The goal is to start this spring, but the exact date is yet to be determined. We will be running online qualifier tournaments, during alpha test weekends and throughout beta testing. The teams with the best results in these tournaments will qualify for the LAN Majors, with corresponding prizes.

Alex Cantatore, Executive Producer of SMITE 2

There will be at least two LAN Majors during this Founders Series initial SMITE 2, at least one of which will be in United States and one in Europe or the United Kingdom.. This will be the first time competitive SMITE will be played in Europe since 2017.

We believe this shift to a Majors-centric esports scene will be good for the SMITE 2 esports ecosystem, as it will remove the restriction that full-time professional SMITE players have to be based in Atlanta. At this year’s SMITE World Championship we can see the strength of players residing elsewhere: two of the eight SMITE Pro League teams were defeated by top EU semi-pro teams in the group stage. A third semi-pro team from NA came very close to eliminating another SPL team.

Alex Cantatore

For the past two seasons, developer Titan Forge Games has been the owner and operator of all SMITE Pro League teams.including assuming responsibility for paying the players’ salarieswhich meant that the traditional esports organizations left the scene. As part of that agreement, all players moved to Atlanta and competed from there.

However, the new format will be more open, allowing players to play from anywhere and form teams with whomever they choose. The organizers of the competitive circuit also will now allow teams to seek out sponsors and organizations of their choice. in this new format. So it appears that the organizers are facilitating the emergence of a self-sustaining circuit.

We are a very community focused developer and as such plan to listen to the community during the SMITE 2 Founders Series and continue to evolve the format and esports ecosystem of the title as the game nears full release.

Alex Cantatore

While the first game will remain online and receive updates, but no new heroes, SMITE 2’s sleek new graphics, more tutorials and revamped gameplay loop will blend seamlessly with a revamped esports ecosystem, all with the common goal of broadening the audience and making the competitive circuit truly global.