Ever since the release of the first Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) in the early 2000’s, a number a new MOBA’s have been launched almost every year. If you’ve ever played any games in the genre, then you’ll know how saturated the market is.
Currently, there’s only 1 king of the MOBA genre, and it goes by the name of League of Legends. Originally launched 2009, LoL was one of the first standalone MOBAs to hit the market and has ended up being the most popular MOBA by far.
The number don’t lie. In 2014 the game had 67 million active players every month with 27 million unique players every day. By 2016 the game had managed to increase its active monthly players and hit the 100 million milestone. Compared to other MOBAs on the market, these numbers are unheard of; nothing even comes close.
With a yearly international world championship, thousands of Twitch streamers and millions of dedicated fans, can League of Legends stay number 1 forever?
Here are some of the newest MOBA games that we think could overtake League of Legends.
The Contenders
When it comes to challenging League of Legends to the top spot, you need something that’s unique, addictive, and popular. Not every MOBA will end up successful and it greatly depends on the developers
We think these games have a good chance of stealing players from LoL and adding them to their player base.
Battleborn
Originally released in May of 2016, this game is relatively new but has already had a substantial impact on the genre. Unlike traditional MOBAs that have a top-down view of the battlefield, Battleborn is completely first person. This means that you rarely get to even see your champion in game, a massive difference compared to other MOBAs.
Several other games in the past such as Smite and Paragon (which we’ll cover later) have explored different player perspectives. However, none of them have ever developed a first-person MOBA. Not only does this make Battleborn one of a kind, but it allows console players to get in on the action.
Point and click MOBAs work great on PC, but are impossible to play on consoles. Battleborn fixes this problem by only requiring players to aim with their crosshair and shoot or zap stuff to death. With its unique gameplay, cartoony graphics and interesting approach on the genre, we think Battleborn could rise in popularity with fans over the years.
Gigantic
A new and upcoming game that’s still in beta, Gigantic takes a similar resemblance to Battleborn but adds its own special twist. Instead of multiple lanes spread out over the map, there’s only one lane where everyone does battle. Players rack up kills to summon their guardian who helps them push their lane to victory.
With teams of 5 (6 if you count the Guardian), players fight each other to control the lane and destroy the other enemies base. Regarding gameplay and characters, there aren’t a whole bunch to choose from but more and more are being released. When League of Legends was released, there were only 17 champions.
Available to test on PC and XBox, Gigantic is also taking a claw at the console market in a hope to win over players. Developed by the independent game studio Motiga, Microsoft has shown interest in the game and have partnered up with them. With the financial backing, influence and help from Microsoft, Gigantic could turn out to be a Gigantic success!
Paragon
Another new kid on the block, Paragon is an upcoming MOBA that has been in beta since March 2016. Using a different viewing angle from traditional MOBAs, Paragon keeps the camera lower down and behind the player giving a different perspective. Although this viewing angle has already been done on Smite, that’s where the similarities end.
Paragon is one of the only MOBA games out there that are putting a lot of effort into their game engine. Since most MOBAs are a top down view, they don’t really bother with the graphics or how they look. Paragon, on the other hand, is using the Unreal Engine to produce amazing graphics for players to marvel at.
Developed by the guys behind Gears of War, Unreal Tournament and Infinity Blade, they already have a significant advantage other over MOBAs. They’ve made highly successful and popular games in the past, what’s to say they can’t do it again?
Will League of Legends Always Be King?
For now, League of Legends is still number 1 and unless someone releases a whole new MOBA concept, we don’t think that’s going to change. If someone could produce a game as good as League of Legends and make it accessible to console players, then they might stand a chance. Looking to try out League of Legends for yourself? Head over to UnrankeSmurfs to buy a LoL account and kick-start your LoL career!
