Time for the beta sticker to come off
Paladins, the hero shooter from Hi-Rez studios, will finally be leaving the early access state next week on May 8th, on Windows, PS4 and Xbox One.
The launch patch is currently in the live game, with the team adding in a battle pass system similar to Fortnite Battle Royale. Hi-Rez have also assured players that the official launch will mark its commitment to the direction the game is currently taking and will still receive content updates and patches. However, Hi-Rez doesn’t plan to make any more major system changes going forward.
This announcement comes after the team announced Paladins had topped 25 million players worldwide. The shooter initially launched into an early access beta state way back in September 2016 and has had a tumultuous history. Often compared to Blizzard’s hugely successful Overwatch, the game is often seen as a free-to-play alternative, rocking similar classes, game modes and art styles.
The game started life with a more MOBA-leaning focus, like Hi-Rez’s previous success Smite. However, it shifted its focus with the success of the aforementioned Overwatch and hero shooter genre. Since then, the game has received a substantial amount of updates, adding characters, maps, modes and more.
One particular update, Paladin’s Cards Unbound, received considerable flack when it tried to introduce a card-based loot box system that many players dubbed pay to win. The update wasn’t just unpopular with gamers but in the studio itself and was completely removed at the beginning of the year.
Since then, the game has been branching out, with an announced battle royale mode (originally titled Paladins Battleground the mode is now a separate release called Realm Royale), and the launch of an iOS MOBA titled Paladins Strike.
Players who have previously played the game in its beta form before May 7th will receive £5 worth of premium currency (200 crystals), and all champions will be unlocked.