This dynamic of bigger-is-better produced many of the gaming giants today: Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, Take-two Entertainment, Ubisoft, and so on. Bigger companies could invest more towards central engine technology and publishing spend. These limitations pushed the industry towards consolidation. Best Buy, GameStop, and other gaming retailers had limited shelf space, largely reserved for franchise titles with large marketing budgets. The second limiting factor was physical distribution. Few outside of the large studios and publishers had access to high quality engines. The first was access to engine technology: games engines were incredibly difficult to build. Two key factors gated the numbers of big releases each year. Game development was traditionally a slow process. To better understand why, we need to trace through the state of the industry. One interpretation is this: gameplay innovation is no longer a sustainable source of competitive advantage for the gaming industry. Drodo was the first mover in its category, but it accrued little of the first-mover advantages. Drodo became a sideshow in its own genre.ĭrodo’s story raises an interesting question for the gaming industry: who captures the value of gameplay innovation? Business theories often talk about “first-mover advantage”. So many copycat games entered the market that the genre got its own name: Auto Battlers.īy the time Drodo built its standalone Auto Chess game (divorced from Dota) in late 2019, the market was crowded with fast-followers. Blizzard introduced Hearthstone Battlegrounds. Riot redesigned Auto Chess for League of Legends, releasing Team Fight Tactics. Valve re-imagined Auto Chess as Dota Underlord. Competitors quickly flooded the market with Auto Chess clones. Unfortunately, Drodo’s decision did not pay dividends. After all, why let others capitalize on its success? When Valve and other large publishers approached Drodo with acquisitions offers, Drodo turned these offers in favor of building its own standalone game. Many saw Auto Chess as the most important gameplay revolution since Battle Royale.Īt the time, it seemed like Drodo struck gold. Over seven million players flocked to Auto Chess in its first three months of launch.
HEARTHSTONE AUTO CHESS MOD
It was a mod of the popular game Dota 2, and it became an instant viral sensation.
Technically, Auto Chess wasn’t a standalone game.
The game combined unique elements of strategy and deck building. Set on the classic chess board, Auto Chess provided a common pool of champions for battle. In January 2019, a small Chinese game studio called Drodo Studios released Auto Chess. This article explores the value of gameplay innovation and being a first-mover in gaming today.
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