Formerly known as Dota Auto Chess, the popular and original auto battler game Auto Chess will be released on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2020. This announcement was revealed at an Auto Chess fan meeting in Tokyo on Sept 29. At the meeting, game developer and publisher Dragonest Games discussed plans with Japanese attendees about its future expansion.
Auto Chess expansion
The news was brought up by Dragonest Games CEO Loring Lee at a meetup hosted by Japanese strategy site Auto Chess Mobile Party. Players participated in a casual match, quiz match, and a meeting that lasted an hour. It was noted that Lee also asked questions of the players themselves, rather than just players asking the CEO.
The game started off as a mod on Valve’s multiplayer online battle arena game Dota 2. Since then, it has become a standalone game with versions on iOS and Android. Several other games inspired by this mod have emerged since, like Valve’s Dota Underlords and Riot Games’ Teamfight Tactics. There is also a PC version of Auto Chess in beta and being released on the PC through the Epic Games Store at the end of 2019. However, the console version will have several unique features.
Japanese market
One of the reasons it was unveiled at a Japanese fan meeting is the fact that Auto Chess will have Japanese voiceovers. This will be in addition to the already-included English and Chinese voiceovers. There will also be an in-game voice chat function for duos and a 4v4 game mode. Players will be able to spectate games and replay previous matches. Other updates include a tournament feature for large groups of players, ranging from 32 to 64. Item availability balancing and method adjustments will also be made.
With a large number of console players in Japan, it is probably Dragonest Games’ idea to target a market not yet reached by Riot Games or Valve. With those two powerhouse developers already taking up the PC market, Auto Chess has had a difficult time competing. But will auto battler games still be popular in 2020? Only time will tell.
