Stormgate is an ambitious title attempting to bring popularity to the real-time strategy genre. It looks like Starcraft meets Diablo, but we’ll learn why that is the case soon. For now, we’re going to cover five details you must know about this RTS game and why it could potentially become a cultural hit. So get ready to micro your units and prepare for cheesy strategies because Stormgate is bringing all of that when it launches.
#5 – Passionate RTS Developers
Frost Giants Studios is developing Stormgate. This name is definitely not one you’ll recognize if you’re a veteran gamer, but it is composed of ex-employees of Blizzard Entertainment. Most of these folks have worked on big RTS titles like the Starcraft and Warcraft series. From working on the campaign for the Warcraft 3 expansion to designing co-op missions for Starcraft II, these guys are certainly people who have experience in making games and are passionate fans of the RTS genre. If we take a look at Blizzard Entertainment nowadays, they don’t have much interest in making RTS games due to other genres being more popular. It’s probably best for the RTS fanatics to form their own company and let them make the games they want to make.
#4 – Multiple Factions
There will be multiple factions for players to choose from, and it’s confirmed that each faction will play distinctly from each other, like in Starcraft and Warcraft. It’s a welcoming feature and has always been one of the appealing components of those games. As of right now, the game has announced two factions, the Humans and Infernals, which seem more akin to demon-like creatures. There will be more confirmed soon, but currently, this game is already paying its tribute to Blizzard’s beloved RTS series fondly, and Stormgate is proving itself to be the next RTS game targeted at Blizzard fans. There could potentially be a spiritual successor to the infamous Zerg rush strategy, but once we get our hands on the beta, we might learn if that is the case.
#3 – Accessibility
RTS games are not the kind of games that one can pick up and play easily. It takes time and effort to understand its mechanics and get into the groove of things. Luckily, Stormgate promises to be more accessible for players to jump in, but it will still offer a high skill gap at the same time. One of the key components of Stormgate’s accessibility is its free-to-play. It will follow the footsteps of live service games like League of Legends and Path of Exile with future updates to keep the game fresh and rely on cosmetics and portraits to support the game financially. There will be no source of pay to win in Stormgate. Hey Blizzard, take some notes! Stormgate also focuses more on being a “social game,” compared to other RTS games to lure players into the genre, and that inspiration is taken from popular games like League of Legends or Among Us.
#2 – There’s Something For Everyone
Whether you’re someone who enjoys the lore and hand-scripted missions, or you’re someone who wants to become the best competitive player in the 1v1 world, Stormgate will offer more than you think. Stormgate will have a massive amount of quality of life content. There are four pillars it’s striving for: Campaign, Co-Op, Competitive Multiplayer, and User Generated Content. We don’t know how finished these modes will be on launch day, but time will definitely be Stormgate’s friend, and we cannot imagine how many ways people can play Stormgate late in its life span. We hope the content will be enough on launch day. Also, does anybody believe the next DoTa game could be built on Stormgate’s map editor? We shall see…
#1 – Revival of the RTS Genre
Stormgate is simply on the right path to reviving the RTS genre where there hasn’t been a big-budget RTS title since Starcraft II. It has the right goals and principles, and all it needs to do is execute them. This statement is easier said than done, but we want to give credit to Frost Giant Studios for making a bold move, especially since it’s something many companies in the industry wouldn’t do. We will be shocked if Stormgate happens to be as popular as League of Legends or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or if it can possibly influence other companies to make their own big-budget RTS titles. And hey, maybe someday we might actually see the sequel to Starcraft and Warcraft from the original company that gave birth to Frost Giant Studios. We aren’t prophets, and we can’t tell what the future will look like, but we are confident Stormgate will be a name you’ll be hearing often throughout the years.
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