Evgenii "Gufis" Kondratev The MOBA genre is going through tough times. Two of the most popular games, Dota 2 and League of Legends, are struggling. Valve’s game is essentially becoming a niche product for Eastern Europe, while Riot Games seems unable to inject fresh energy into a project that feels like it’s entered its autumn phase.
Amid this, Garena has announced the revival of Heroes of Newerth, a once-worthy competitor to these games in the early 2010s, which later shut down for good. The game is being developed on a new engine, and the trailer looks quite promising.
It seems like a moment to celebrate, but there are a few concerns. First, this is a re-release of a live-service game that’s over a decade old. MOBA games have fallen out of trend, and many players have moved on to new platforms and gaming trends.
Second, Garena’s approach to supporting projects and esports has always raised questions. The company claims it always believed in Heroes of Newerth’s potential, so why was the game shut down in the first place?
Third, the game is launching on the iGames platform, which is partially crowdfunded. But this raises another question—where is Steam? If you want to attract a large audience today, it’s hard to do so without Valve’s platform.
Image: igames.com
All of this makes Heroes of Newerth feel like a small niche project that could grow organically, but there are serious doubts. On the bright side, at least there’s a timeline—the game is expected to release within a year.
Main image: youtube.com
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