It’s the weekend of conventions! Down in Atlanta, Georgia, Hi-Rez Studios is on its second day of Hi-Rez Expo 2018. And already, there has been a lot of announcements for what’s coming to their games: Smite, Paladins, and Realm Royale.
Up first, Paladins is Hi-Rez’s first person shooter game that first came out in September 2016. It currently has 39 Champions that players can choose from or obtain from playing the game. And with that, Hi-Rez has officially announced Champion 40. Introducing Imani, the Last Warder:
Imani is a powerful mage that controls the elements of both ice and fire. She can cast complex spells with her martial-arts inspired movements. For her ultimate move, she can summon her giant dragon that can deal a ton of damage. She’ll shift the battle between hot and cold, but she’s sure to make an impact.
The next game that’s getting some new content is Smite. Smite is Hi-Rez’s MOBA game, though instead of being seen from overhead, the camera stays behind the shoulder of the player’s avatar. This has been one of Hi-Rez’s more popular titles and has a lot of heroes. And, for the upcoming 99th and 100th, England’s mythlogical heroes Arthur and Merlin will be joining the battlefield:
Arthur will be getting a new style of melee combos that they’re experimenting with, and Merlin will be able to switch between three stances of fighting. However, Merlin is still in the prototype stage currently and doesn’t have a confirmed style. These two heroes have yet to be given a release date.
On the Gods side of Smite, three of the most demanded and anticipated Gods are finally joining the fight: Jormungandr, Horus and Set. These three Gods are still currently in their development and will not be out until some time after our two new heroes, Arthur and Merlin.
There is also a new arena that is currently playable that focuses on the fight between Hera and Bellona:
Smite is now also currently available for Switch much earlier than anticipated.
Finally, for Realm Royale, the only noteworthy news is that the game is getting cross-play. More specifically, all three games are gaining cross-play support across the board. The convention is still going on, so it’s possible that new announcements may still happen. But for the audience of Hi-Rez Studios, this is bringing a whole new level to the playing field.