A new card game based on Dota 2 is coming to Steam, Valve announced Tuesday night, and it’ll feature many of the items, heroes and abilities we’ve become familiar with over the MOBA’s six year life. Admittedly, we’re not really sure who Artifact is for, but Valve doesn’t have a history of publishing poorly-received software either. So we’ll hold our judgment.
Details on Artifact are scarce. Valve says its first digital card game will feature lanes, just like the game that inspired it, and many heroes from the Dota 2 roster. Cards will be inspired by a variety of abilities, items and structures. There will even be Barracks cards that send waves of minions down the lane to attack your opponent. We still don’t know how closely Valve hopes to replicate the MOBA experience, but don’t be shocked if Artifact is substantially more complex than other popular digital CCGs like Hearthstone or Elder Scrolls Legends. “Easy to learn” is about the last way anyone would describe Dota 2.
The announcement was met by a mixture of excitement and disappointment by TI7 attendees. Tying Artifact to Dota has the obvious benefit of getting attention from the game’s biggest fans. But it’s pretty easy to sympathize with longtime Valve supporters who were underwhelmed by the Artifact reveal too. The company’s annual Dota 2 world championship tournament would’ve been a weird venue to announce a project that didn’t have anything to do with Valve’s MOBA, but it's deflating to see a card game announcement when you think you’re about to get an early look at the third Half Life, Portal or Team Fortress.
For more on Artifact, take a minute to watch the brief teaser -- some artsy camera shots of really weird-looking hard candy -- that debuted during The International. Then drop by the comments section and let us know how interested you are in playing a card game based on Dota 2.
Artifact is in development for PC. The game is expected to debut in 2018.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Artifact news in 2017 and however long Valve supports Artifact in the years following launch.
