Former Blizzard and Riot developers tease 'whimsical, pop-apocalyptic fantasy' MOBA
Theorycraft Games, a studio made up of many developers who previously worked on games like League of Legends, Valorant, Destiny, and Overwatch, has dropped the first concept art for its new MOBA-inspired, team-based, competitive game codenamed Loki.
The four pieces of art depict a world that already looks like a top-down MOBA map, complete with lanes slicing through each zone. In one of the pieces, a splintered purple tower sits atop a platform shaped like a home base that you'd protect in the last fight of a match. The whole thing is on top of a chunk of earth that floats in the sky, where the game seems to be set, and has other magical-looking fountains nearby.
In another piece, the scene is dark with a neon sign glowing in the middle. You can barely make out a character sitting at a storefront from under the harsh shadows. Like League of Legends, Loki will probably take place in a world that bends genres with, I assume, a big roster of characters to match with that. All of it, fitting within the "whimsical, pop-apocalyptic fantasy world," that the developer describes it as.
Very little is known about Loki other than that it's for people who like MOBAs, "going on adventures with friends, and team-based competitive PvP," according to the developer's website. The game has only been in development for a year, but Theorycraft Games has already had hundreds of players test it out and provide feedback over the last year.
It's easy to assume what kind of game it will be given that the company is packed with developers that play and have worked on competitive multiplayer games, primarily within Blizzard and Riot. As part of today's announcement, Theorycraft Games also revealed it's picked up former Legends of Runeterra game director Andrew Yip and Arcane (the LoL Netflix show) art supervisor Kévin Le Moigne.
"Together, we are combining our professional strengths and personal loves for different genres to forge something entirely new with Loki. Andrew's knowledge of deep gameplay systems and Kévin's ability to bring fantastical worlds to life will further our mission to make Loki the rewarding, imaginative experience that we've envisioned since its inception," CEO Joe Tung said of the new hires.
Loki doesn't currently have a release date, but you can sign up to be a part of its playtesters on the site.