Paragon was a MOBA from Epic Games that was released in 2016 and had some interesting ideas. However, the game could not establish itself and was discontinued in 2018. The Korean giant Netmarble is bringing the MOBA back in 2022 under the name Overprime. You will even be able to play it through Steam.
What kind of game was Paragon? Paragon was a rather unusual MOBA. It relied on a third-person view like Smite, but with realistic, beautiful graphics and a sci-fi setting. The highlight was the dynamic and action-packed battles, which were essentially reminiscent of a modern shooter.
However, the MOBA was very complex from the beginning and not beginner-friendly. Additionally, the game was rebuilt several times, which led to some confusion.
Paragon had some hardcore fans who were very attached to the game and even launched several petitions to save it. However, it could not reach a large audience. Because of this, and also due to the great success of Fortnite, Epic discontinued the MOBA in April 2018.
What happens now? Epic made all the data from Paragon publicly available in 2018. Other developers could create their own games from the assets and contents. The South Korean development team “SoulEVE” began developing such a MOBA in 2019.
In the meantime, the team was hired by the Korean gaming company Netmarble. Together they want to bring Overprime to the global market in 2022. In the West, the game will be released through Steam, where you can already add it to your wishlist (via Steam).
The developers had already uploaded a complete match on YouTube in September 2021:
A classic MOBA, but with shooter gameplay
What exactly is Overprime? Like Paragon, Overprime will be a MOBA and fundamentally relies on the gameplay of games like Dota and League of Legends:
- You start by choosing a hero
- With this hero, you enter a battlefield where you fight 5v5 against another team
- The goal is to destroy the opposing base
- Along the way, there are 3 lanes with towers on them
Like Paragon, it relies on a third-person perspective and shooter gameplay. However, there are some graphic adjustments, new bushes to hide in, and some changes to the heroes. Fans of Paragon should feel at home in Overprime right away.
When will the MOBA be released? In their New Year’s greeting, the developers announced the early access and full release for 2022 for PC (via YouTube).
Additionally, a port for consoles is in the works, as can be seen in a short video clip. However, it is unclear when this version will be released.
Overprime is not the first Paragon clone
What can I play until Overprime is released? Anyone who has been motivated to play Paragon by the content shown here can already try another clone of the game. In the summer of 2020, a game called Fault was released in early access on Steam.
This is a Buy2Play and costs 8.19 Euros. Whether the purchase is worth it is hard to say, as the game currently has only 184 average players. In the last 30 days, there was a peak of 467 players online at the same time. However, the reviews point out that the search for a match often takes 30 minutes or longer.
However, the MOBA is still in development, as the latest patches came on December 19 and January 2. So if you want to start playing right now, you might find an alternative in Fault.
What do you think about Overprime? Does the new MOBA appeal to you? And do you believe in its success or will it fail just like Paragon?
MOBAs generally have a hard time in the market right now, aside from the 3 big games LoL, Dota 2, and Smite. In 2022, even one of the first games will be permanently discontinued:
The oldest competitor of LoL will be discontinued – Heroes of Newerth dies after 12 years
