Overwatch is a lovely game that I’ve been enjoying longer than any other game that dropped this year. Micro-transactions aside it is a solid shooter that had a unique look and style. Copycat games were inevitable and we’ve already seen one sort of take shape over in China. But here in the States there hasn’t been anything yet that clones the game; until now.
Paladins, like Overwatch, is an online shooter that features a colorful cast of characters. Fine, nothing wrong with that as I’m always a fan of more color in modern video games. But the issue crops up when you take a look at the game official trailer. Let’s take a look at it and then continue this chat.
Okay, so what did you think? Sure looks a lot like what Overwatch already offered, does it not? We got a Reaper copy right off the bat that screams about death, a character with the exact same chain-grab as Road-Hog, a scary similar Junkrat, a Torbjörn dude building sentry placements, a lady that shoots ice, and even some armored dude with a Reinhardt shield. It’s pretty scary of a coincidence on the surface, so much so that the studio has addressed users concerns.
In a statement provided to IGN, Hi Rez Studio’s COO Todd Harris stated that,
“While Overwatch is a fine game, it was not the inspiration for Paladins,” Harris wrote. “Game development is an interactive process with ideas coming from many past projects. For the hero shooter genre, the game that deserves the most credit is Team Fortress 2.”
Development on the game goes back a long way, even before Overwatch came out. Harris says that Paladins is simply a fantasy version of the studio’s own class-based shooter Global Agenda. That game itself was inspired by Team Fortress 2. It’s like an endless cycle of inspiration.
What should be noted is that many of the characters in question (and stated above) have been playable in the beta long before Overwatch announced similar characters. This also goes for the games chests that you can earn after matches. Harris invites people to check YouTube for the early footage of Paladins to check it out for themselves.
At least unlike Overwatch, Paladins is Free-To-Play on Steam so you can download it right now and play. We will be streaming the game on our Twitch channel (@Gambit_magazine) for those that want to check it out.
Download Paladins here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/444090/
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