In the latest State of Play, Sony announced the game Auto Chess for the PS4. This title originated from a mod for Dota 2 and was the trending genre in the summer of 2019. Now the game is being released for the console.
What kind of game is this? In Auto Chess, it’s all about the right strategy. You have different game pieces to choose from, which you can buy at the beginning of a round and then place on a chessboard.
After that, these pieces automatically fight against the opponent’s pieces.
In each round, you earn gold, which you can use to buy new pieces or upgrade existing ones. You can also purchase experience points that increase the player’s level. The higher the level, the more game pieces you can have on the chessboard.
What is special about Auto Chess? This game is “the original,” developed by the Chinese developer Drodo Studios. They created the original mod that generated so much attention in early 2019.
The game has already been released in the West on Epic Store and can also be played on Android and iOS.
When will the game be released for the PS4? Auto Chess is set to release on October 31, 2020, for Sony’s console. It is currently unknown if there will be a PS5 version.
Does the summer trend work on consoles?
Why was the genre a summer trend? After the mod for Dota 2 was successful, three providers quickly released their own “Auto Chess” versions:
- Drodo Studios announced the aforementioned Auto Chess
- Valve focused on the standalone Dota Underlords
- Riot Games, in turn, released Teamfight Tactics directly in the LoL client
They were followed by other providers, especially for mobile platforms, such as Chess Rush, where matches were supposed to last a maximum of 15 minutes.
What happened to the hype? Initially, the games from Riot and Valve were quite successful:
Dota Underlords reached over 76,000 simultaneous players at its peak (via Steam Charts), while Teamfight Tactics debuted strongly on Twitch and made LoL the most popular game in the world.
However, the hype has since diminished, even though both titles are still performing well.
Will Auto Chess work on the PS4? Auto Chess emphasizes quick reactions and good strategy. This can easily be implemented for consoles and controllers. Additionally, the game has been continuously expanded since its release, with a new hero added most recently in July.
However, the “golden age of the genre” is already over, and many players are focusing primarily on TFT from Riot Games.
It is also open whether there will be crossplay with PC and mobile devices. If so, there should at least be a healthy player base to play Auto Chess on the PS4.
