Whenever Valve decides to announce something new, fans cannot help but get excited, hoping that the time has finally arrived for "Half Life 3" to be released. So when the company suggested that they were about to announce a new game today during The Invitational, an esports tournament for "Dota 2," the first hopeful thought to cross our mind was whether we would finally be able to revisit Black Mesa again.
Obviously, as the title indicates, that did not happen. The announcement had nothing to do with "Half Life 3" and Gordon Freeman, and instead introduced the gaming community to "Artifact: The Dota Card Game." Yes, a card game based on Valve's popular free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena.
Honestly, we only have ourselves to blame, after all, it was at a "Dota 2" event. What else could it be?
What do we know about 'Artifact'?
That is a good question. Unfortunately, the answer is not a whole lot. Valve released a teaser as a companion piece to the announcement, but that barely shows enough to get excited. Sean Plott, the broadcaster at The Invitational, described it as sharing some similarities with Blizzard's "Hearthstone", just with "Dota" characters and a three lane system.
In other words, it should resemble most other card games while incorporating a few elements from the main game to give it some flavor. A fixed release date is not known, although Valve suggested that a 2018 release can be expected.
"Artifact" is being developed by "Psychonauts" alumni Brad Muir, who also worked on "Iron Brigade" and "Massive Chalice." The ex-Double Fine employee has a proven track record for creating quality games, and considering how polished all of Valve's titles tend to be, this should prove no different.
What is 'Dota 2'?
For those who never stumbled across the company's massive MOBA, then you might be wondering how a free-to-play game is popular enough to warrant a spin off card game.
"Dota 2" is the sequel to "Defence of the Ancients," a mod created for Blizzard's "Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos". Upon initial release in 2013, where it received universal acclaim, "Dota 2" went on to be one of the most played games on the market and a stable at gaming competition and events. The fantastic and challenging gameplay is exceptionally rewarding, as long as the player has enough time to overcome the learning curve. Like quite a few difficult games, one of the main criticisms for Valve's MOBA is the hostile community, who are particularly harsh towards new players.
