Artifact, the collectible card game (CCG) based on the Dota 2 universe that Valve released in late 2018, turned out to be a major failure for the studio.
Valve founder and president Gabe Newell recently opened up about that, calling Artifact a 'giant disappointment'. That said, the developers haven't given up on the game; in fact, they have just posted the first details on the 2.0 beta that's supposed to revamp some key aspects of Artifact.
We’ve been focusing on gameplay changes first. The biggest change is zooming out to allow players access to all three lanes at once. The majority of effects still work on individual lanes so they still maintain their identity, but it’s less likely that a player will get shut out in the same way they used to.
We’ve also focused on making Artifact easier to pick up. We aren’t selling cards, so you won’t face an opponent with a stacked deck. We’ve also added a new draft mode, Hero Draft, that gives you a taste of constructing decks without all the pressure.
The beta will exist as a new executable and access will be granted to individual accounts. When we are ready to send out invites we will let you know the process.
Here’s the current road-map:
- Test boring stuff <- We are here
- Trickle out invites, starting with players of the original release (ramping up similar to Dota 2)
- Work on the Beta, eventually transitioning to an open beta
- Leave Beta (hopefully quicker than Dota 2)
FAQ:
Q. I didn’t play the original. If I buy the original game now, will I be able to get in?
A. No, we will prioritize people who purchased before today’s date.Q. I played the original Artifact, will I have access to my stats, cards, decks, etc. from the original game?
A. In the new version cards are unlocked through play. Individual cards are likely to have been changed, removed, or brand new; so old decks and stats wouldn’t be valid.Q. Can I buy cards/packs in the Beta?
A. We have some ideas about what we’d like to sell, but none of them are cards/packs.
While the Artifact 2.0 beta is being prepared, at least Valve can bask in what seems like unequivocal success with Half-Life: Alyx.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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