it was announced two weeks ago that Gigantic would be delayed into 2016, while laying off 16 members from Motiga Games. The developer has written a new blog post more or less explaining what’s going on.
According to creative director James Phinney, the developer continues to march forward with development. ”Undeterred, the team fights on and the work continues,” said Phinney. ”As always, there are challenges. Some challenges require us to adapt. Some we master with ease. Some take blood, sweat, and tears.”
The developer also revealed that the new beta would be launching in early 2016 for Windows 10 and Xbox One gamers; the game allows crossplatform play between the two platforms, and features a universal log-in (both versions are interchangeable under one account.)
The updates that would be in the beta include:
- Improved matchmaking algorithms that do a better job creating balanced teams. (Of course, this will mean longer wait times for you if you use the new party mechanics to make a super-team. We don’t want you core guys steamrolling new players!)
- Major changes to the way power is generated for Guardians for more interesting and competitive matches. We’ve focused the game on active play by rewarding more power from kills and a new power orb mechanic and less on passive factors like power generation from creatures.
- Big content updates, including a second map (Sanctum Falls, formerly known as “MistForge”), a new hero, and a new summonable creature. The naga guardian Grenn will also be showing off new and improved visuals and abilities.
- The first parts of our account progression system, where we’re working to make it fun to earn and unlock rewards as you play. This version is just a first iteration, but I think you’ll see we’ve designed a reward system that is fun and complements the overall play experience.
- Numerous gameplay adjustments to improve playability. This includes a lot of work to bring joy back into moving around in Gigantic, with reduced stamina costs for sprinting, the removal of penalties for jumping when out of stamina, and much simpler, cleaner collision in our maps.
Phinney also stated that the Guardians have been too passive. Each team in the MOBA has a giant Guardian, and the aim of the game is to destroy the other team’s Guardian; every kill powers up that team’s Guardian even more.
”For far too long, they’ve played a very passive role. The more active prototype behaviors they once had were disabled to allow us to iterate on other aspects of the game. In the future, you will see them moving through the map, interacting with the environment, and engaging with players far more in the future. Gigantic needs its Guardians back.” said developers Gigantic.
Gamers interested in signing up for the beta can visit the official site here.
