Fans of Battlerite have been waiting on news on a new mode, and that news arrived today: Battlerite Royale is coming in September as its own game. The game will use the known champions and basic mechanics of Battlerite but revamp the champions' abilities and interface from the ground up. Because so much is being changed, Battlerite developer Stunlock thought it best to make the battle royale mode an entirely separate experience.
Battlerite has already set itself apart from other MOBAs thanks to its focus on combat. While many similar games emphasize capturing objectives and farming to level up, Battlerite throws players into coliseum-style matches where other players are the only thing to worry about. That already seems like it would be easy to translate into a battle royale game. But Stunlock, in a blog post, says it wants to take the concept further.
Battlerite Royale, as the new game will be called, was initially designed as just another mode to the core Battlerite experience. But as development went on, the team found that the mechanics of the core arena game limited what it could do with a battle royale mode.
"When the decision was made, we suddenly could do more to make the best possible Royale experience," the blog says, "We re-designed Champion ability kits, rebalanced stats, added new gameplay systems, and removed systems. We also had to develop new matchmaking and rating systems, create a new interface, and a separate onboarding experience."
The biggest change to Battlerite that Royale will bring are new champion abilities. "Lethality needed to be increased as players need to be eliminated at a certain pace throughout the course of a match," says the blog. This meant that champion stats are being tweaked to act more like a free-for-all and less like a MOBA. In the case of some champions, such as supports, entire new abilities are being added. That's because shields and other such defensive actions are very suitable for a battle royale setting. They could either end up overwhelmingly overpowered or completely useless.
With these massive changes underway, Stunlock also wants to make sure longtime players are taken care of. Even though it's splitting into two different games, players can use their cosmetic items from Battlerite in Battlerite Royale. Those who got in on the All Champions Pack, Battlerite Early Access, or Ultimate Fan Pack will also be rewarded with unspecified goodies in the new game.
For more information, players can check out the just-released roadmap from Stunlock. Those who wish to try their hand at Battlerite Royale can sign up for the beta before the full September release on Steam Early Access.