Auto Chess, the wildly popularmod forDota 2, is going independent. Announced today during the PC Gaming Show at E3 2019, development is progressing on a standalone version ofAuto Chesscreated by Drodo Studios, the original creators behind theDota 2 Auto Chessmod. The game is being made with support from Dragonest, a Chinese publishing company, and ImbaTV, which is helping to build a major eSports league with a million dollar prize pool.
For those unfamiliar,Auto Chessis an indirect competitive multiplayer game where players recruit units to “auto battle” their opponent’s units over a series of rounds. Each round provides every player with the opportunity to recruit new units or strengthen those they already have. The “chess-like” strategy comes down to selecting a squad of units that empower each other, while also taking advantage of each opponents' squad’s weaknesses without leaving bare a weakness of your own.
But the heart ofAuto Chess' success has been its unique ranked system. Players who are successful atAuto Chessclimb the ranks while losers fall below. This kind of highly competitive matchmaking mixed with a more relaxed and strategic indirect style of competition has madeAuto Chessstand out. Being aDota 2mod, however, has been limiting to development. As such, a standalone version with larger aspirations has always been inevitable.
A major part of today’sAuto Chessannouncement is confirmation that the game will beexclusive to the Epic Games Store, cementing the future rivalry between Valve and Epic for control of the new “auto chess” genre. Valve and Drodo had previously been in communication to create a standalone game with theDota 2branding, but negotiations fell through. Valve was even quoted as saying that it could not “work directly with each other for a variety of reasons.” Valve has since revealed that it’s working on its own standalone auto chess game.
Auto Chesshas no currently announced release window but will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store on PC.
