Hi-Rez Studios hopes to start out 2021 with a bang. The game developer has just announced big updates for SMITE, Rogue Company, and Paladins. After a successful 2020 for the Hi-Rez Studios' free-to-play titles, these 2021 plans hope to keep players engaged with new content, seasonal updates, fresh maps, features, and more.
For SMITE, Hi-Rez's MOBA had a strong 2020, as SMITE even had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles added to the game last year. As far as 2021, Hi-Rez has announced that Season 8: Dawn of Babylon will see the first new conquest map in three years; the evolving Babylonian pantheon. Additionally, players can expect new Gods, including Tiamat and Gilgamesh, a new battle pass, more collaborations, and more esports fun.
While SMITE is well-established, Rogue Company is Hi-Rez Studio's newest title and its attempt at a CS: GO-like tactical shooter. Thus far, it is off to a solid start, gaining over 15 million players. Rogue Company just received an upgrade for Xbox Series X, which wonderfully utilizes the crossplay functionality. In 2021, players will be able to enjoy four seasons of play which features new Rogues, new maps, new events, and more. As far as hints, the name Kestrel for a Rogue was given and the name Hollows for a map was laid out.
Paladins: Champions of the Realm has been going strong since it launched in 2016, as over 45 million players have given the hero shooter a try. 2020 saw new content for Paladins, including a spooktacular-themed Champion just in time for Halloween. As far as 2021 is concerned, Paladins is expected to receive more frequent updates than in the past, as well as more limited-time events, event passes, and more. There will also be more Champions added to the cast, and Yagorath will be the first to be added for 2021; a Champion that has been teased for years in Paladins lore.
One of the major parts of Hi-Rez Studio's success is the fact that the games are cross-platform and free to play. Whether on PC or console, anyone can jump on and play with friends. The combination of free to play and crossplay is a fantastic formula for Hi-Rez.
Something else that is interesting for the studio is that it often takes ideas in gameplay formula and builds off of them. Smite, for example, is a game similar to League of Legends. But Hi-Rez certainly created some of its own ideas to make the game its own. Rogue Company is a game that could be compared to Valorant or CS: GO, but Hi-Rez, again, made many development choices to create its own game with Rogue Company.