Tencent and League of Legends: A New Type of Collaboration
“Tencent” and “League of Legends” are names familiar to gamers worldwide. On one hand, there’s the largest game publisher globally, and on the other, there’s a renowned MOBA game that has captivated millions. However, many players are still unaware that Tencent is working on a new game title, which is a completely different experience from League of Legends.
Specifically, this new game closely resembles League of Legends in many aspects; however, it utilizes a third-person perspective instead of a top-down view. The game is called Smite, developed by Hi-Rez Studios and published by Tencent in China, first launching in 2014. Smite has garnered attention as a new gaming experience and features a pantheon of gods from various mythologies.
However, the game has not received much attention from the gaming community in China, primarily due to the fierce competition from other MOBA titles like League of Legends. Consequently, the local version was discontinued in 2017.
Despite this, the international market has maintained a steady player base. A year ago, Tencent announced the upcoming launch of Smite 2, touted as a “revolutionary” move for the future of the MOBA genre.
However, this bombshell has forced Tencent to focus on reconstruction
Smite 2 is considered a highly promising project. Instead of using Unreal Engine 3 like the first installment, Smite 2 will be built on the more advanced Unreal Engine 5, allowing for richer graphics and gameplay mechanics.
However, the reality is that Smite 2 still faces numerous challenges. The gameplay and combat mechanics do not offer many innovations compared to the first version. The character system feels almost replicated from the first installment, which makes the game feel less creative. Another point of concern is that players cannot transfer their accounts or items from Smite 1 to Smite 2, forcing them to start anew. This aspect makes the gaming experience feel more like a marketplace than a seamless transition.
Notably, the third-person perspective gameplay of the current game is much more open than the original Smite released a decade ago. Experts predict that Smite 2 will struggle to compete with other prominent MOBA titles, especially as League of Legends and Dota 2 continue to dominate the market, while VALORANT and other tactical FPS games are attracting players fiercely.
Smite 2 has just begun its first closed beta testing phase and is expected to officially launch in… two years. While it remains too early to gauge any specifics, Tencent is taking significant steps to invest in this “new wave” of gaming.
