Ten of the top Smite teams from around the world have converged on Atlanta to see which one plays the deity-based MOBA well enough to earn $500,000 doing so. Here’s what to expect.
First off, we’ll get a killer new cinematic trailer that prominently features Bellona, my favorite new champion introduced over the past year and a regular pick in the competitive scene. Other gods are in there as well, but Bellona.
We’ll also likely be getting some news about the upcoming Japanese pantheon characters we’ll see joining the Greek, Chinese, Hindu, Norse, Mayan and Roman gods on the battlefield this year.
As far as the competition goes, this year we’ll be seeing two very different styles of play in action.
On one hand we’ve got the main event—ten teams playing the PC version of the game as the intial lineup of gods intended. Here’s how the initial brackets look.
I’d say I am rooting for Enemy to take this year’s crown come Sunday’s Grand Finals, but that would jinx them, and Jinx is not a Smite character.
More interesting (for me at least) this year will be the Xbox One invitational. At last year’s Smite World Championship Hi-Rez Studios had only just introduced the Xbox One version of the game in its early form.
Now we’ve got four teams competing for $150,0oo over the controller-based version of the game. It should be a very different competition than the PC version, as different gods have risen to prominence in the console version due to the modified control scheme.
You’ll be able to follow all of the action via Smite’s Twitch channel starting tomorrow at 11 AM. Check out the official event site for more details and background on the competitors. Its also worth noting that Hi-Rez’s already ridiculously cheap Ultimate God Pack for the game, which gives players access to ever character released for the game both past and future, is on sale during the event for $20. Now would be a great time to give the game a try.
And stay tuned to Kotaku for more news out of the event, as I’ll be there Thursday through Sunday, and not just because its being held 10 miles from my house.
Contact the author ten miles from his house at fahey@kotaku.com or follow him on Twitter at @bunnyspatial