Paladins has exciting days behind it. In trying to pull off the same stunt that Fortnite managed so brilliantly with Battle Royale, the studio behind Paladins almost had everything blow up in their faces. Fortunately, at the last moment, they pulled the emergency brake and changed tactics. The fans of Paladins can breathe a sigh of relief.
Fortnite and Paladins were in a fairly similar situation until a few months ago. Both were interesting and decent games that could only wave goodbye to the zeitgeist that was headed in another direction.
- Fortnite was a co-op shooter with progression mechanics from the mobile sector featuring an interesting gameplay principle that became monotonous over time. An initial hype quickly faded.
- Paladins was a hero shooter in a world that leaves little room for hero shooters alongside Overwatch. All other Overwatch competitors like Battleborn, Gigantic, Paragon or Lawbreakers were either dead or well on their way there. Super prospects for Paladins.
But there was some good news: Fortnite and Paladins were released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Both games had great potential and perhaps even higher ambitions. They were driven by functional, motivated, and inspired teams.
Paladins and Fortnite had a solid foundation for success. But time was running against both games. Overwatch was preparing a major eSports league and the zeitgeist had fallen for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Fortnite and Paladins struggled with issues and difficulties that needed resolving. It would take time and a lot of work. They weren’t playing in the concert of the big shots, but they wanted to be there.
Fortnite skyrockets, Paladins stays on the ground
Then, at the end of 2017, the paths of the two separated:
- Fortnite left all its problems behind. Epic released a battle royale mode that was clearly inspired by PUBG. But no one cared. Fortnite skyrocketed with the new mode. Fortnite was like PUBG, but as an accessible and family-friendly free-to-play variant playable on PS4 and Xbox One.
- Paladins, on the other hand, tightened the monetization screw with new pay-to-win cards, and players hated it.
Fortnite rose steeply, while Paladins struggled.
Even though the PvE players in Fortnite grumbled that they were being neglected for the new mode, Hi-Rez looked on enviously.
Hey, let’s make a battle royale shooter too!
It’s understandable that Paladins wanted to follow the same path as Fortnite: Let’s leave the old problems behind and start something new.
At the Hi-Rez Expo in January 2018, Paladins unexpectedly announced its own battle royale mode: “Paladins Battlegrounds.“
The new mode would have much in common with Fortnite: it would be free, playable on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, and provide action-packed gameplay. But it would also differ from Fortnite: there would be unique heroes with skills in Paladins.
While gamers groaned, “Is every studio now making a battle royale?” Paladins Battlegrounds sounded interesting and coherent at first glance, and also looked appealing in the first gameplay.
It was clear: Hi-Rez was putting a lot of work into ensuring that Paladins Battlegrounds would be released as quickly as possible.
Fans did not embrace the shift to battle royale
However, after the announcement of the battle royale mode by Hi-Rez, the mood among Paladins players was grim. They felt: “You’re neglecting us for the new hotness.” Additionally, there was low morale following the “Cards Unbound” update, which was perceived as pay-to-win.
The studio was on the verge of being torn apart from within. The fans turned against the game. Developers also rebelled against the recent changes in Paladins and complained to the gaming press that the pay-to-win cards were pushed through against the team’s will by the higher-ups.
Furthermore, the new battle royale mode was probably not performing as well as initially thought.
Last-minute maneuver
The day before yesterday, it seemed that Hi-Rez was going this route: Close your eyes and push forward, let’s launch the battle royale mode and go all-in. The public alpha of Paladins Battlegrounds had already started. In an interview with IGN the head of Paladins defended the “Cards Unbound” pay-to-win cards.
But at the last moment, Hi-Rez pulled the emergency brake and decided against following Fortnite’s lead. In a producer letter comes the change in direction:
- The pay-to-win cards will be reverted.
- The battle royale mode will return to internal testing and be revised, operating under the motto YOLO.
- Paladins Battlegrounds will be a standalone game and not a mode that functions within the same client as the core game, as with Fortnite.
- Separate teams will work on Paladins and the “new Battlegrounds” game, which will also have a different name.
Surely, this was a tough decision for Paladins. But currently, fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
The example of Paladins shows just how intense the stunt was that Fortnite managed with its “Battle Royale” and how many factors must align for such maneuvers to not derail a train in full motion.
Now, we can only cross our fingers for Hi-Rez and Paladins that they are back on calmer waters. Even though it’s important to react quickly to trends, fans have little understanding for such drastic changes.
More on the topic:
Paladins withdraws Battlegrounds after a few hours, calls it YOLO
