The shooter from the developer of Smite has been downloaded almost 800,000 times.
Paladins, Hi-Rez studio’s arena shooter has been in open beta since September 16. Since that time, according to Steam tracking website SteamSpy, it has been downloaded an impressive 788,324 times, and has had a peak of 38,439 concurrent players. Steam reviews for the game are very positive, with overall rating of 84% based on 10,065 reviews.
The game is being described as “Overwatch for poor people,” due to it’s striking similarity to Blizzard’s hero shooter. It utilizes a similar formula: players pick from a pool of “champions” with a suite of special abilities, then face off in a 5v5 arena setting, and a similar artstyle.
Speaking to IGN, Hi-Rez’s COO Todd Harris asserted that Overwatch “was not the inspiration for Paladins” and that characters in the game who appear to mimic Overwatch heroes “were available and playable in the Paladins beta long before similar character abilities were shown in Overwatch.”
Whether you think Paladins is an Overwatch clone or not, it’s no doubt that the developer of Smite and Tribes has another success on their hands.
Source: IB Times
