A New Kind Of MOBA

I was asked by Amazon Games if I would like to attend their event and check out their next title. A World War 1-inspired magical MOBA they are calling, March of Giants. I wasn’t yet able to go hands-on with their next game, though it’s coming with a closed alpha test from September 2nd to the 10th. I was able to get a rather good look at the game to see what the team have been working on for the past 5 years, however. Is there room in the market for another MOBA that's still dominated by the likes of League of Legends and the rise of others like Predecessor?

We were joined by Xavier Marquis, Creative Director, Alexandre Parizeau, Studio Head, Laure Guilbert, Studio Brand Director, Benjamin Azoulay, Operations Director and Emilien Loment, Senior Game Designer during our preview of the game. March of Giants will be a Free-to-play war MOBA from Amazon Games Montreal with some of the creators of Rainbow Six Siege, a highly competitive FPS tactical shooter, joining the team. A WAR MOBA, the team calls it. It’s a battlefield instead of the traditional arena we’re used to when it comes to the MOBA formula.

The game is about the player controlling a Giant on a 4v4 battlefield with thousands of troops at your side to aid you in battle. Think of your soldiers more along the lines of minions from other MOBAs. There’s a blend of RTS strategy with a MOBA mix as the player looks to focus on controlling their Giant and taking control of the battlefield. The map will have its traditional 3-lane with giants and soldiers looking to destroy outposts before heading to the end of the lane and demolishing the opponent's Bastion. Think of the Bastion as a much larger outpost, or the CORE and the main objective that, once destroyed, changes the dynamic of the lane and closes the lane off rerouting troops. The first team to destroy 2 Bastions wins the round.

Giants will each be unique and have their own playstyle on the battlefield. Your traditional soldier could turn into a Werewolf or feature a magical lightning-throwing giant. Thanks to the magical addition to the game, March of Giants certainly opens up a lot of possibilities for the creation of what other Giants we could play in the future. As per other MOBAs, there will be upgrades for your Giant thanks to War Shell Upgrades. These upgrades will help improve your giant's stats, passive effects and other bonuses.

Traditional MOBA’s feature a single map design that players will be playing for hundreds of hours. The team will look to change that tradition by manipulating the battlefield. This is war, meaning placing trenches or bunkers in the middle of battle can change how your opponent will look to attack your lane, along with other terraforming obstacles, with the help of your soldiers once again aiding your giant.

As per most preview events, we ended with a Q&A, opening up to the media for questions about what we'd just seen. Though I can’t show you the pre-alpha gameplay, which is rather unfortunate when trying to describe how this MOBA will play. There were a few questions to take note of.

Yes, there is a story that will unravel throughout seasons and other cinematics. Monetization. YES, the game is free to play and will have monetization options in the future based around cosmetics, but not in the closed alpha. March of Giants is currently planned for PC only. Ranked matches are planned for the future.

March of Giants shows promise and looks to change the traditional MOBA formula with its unique gameplay and magical elements while writing the game in World War 1. MOBA’s are a very competitive space. Is there room to add another to your gaming library? I will have more to say about the game after my time with the closed alpha and look forward to sharing more soon.

Let us know what you think of Amazon Games take on a new MOBA in the comments below.