Magic: Legends developer Cryptic Studios has released a statement that addresses some of the complaints and feedback it has received since the new game launched its open beta. The Diablo-esque online action RPG based on the massively popular collectible card game by publisher Wizards of the Coast was announced late in 2019 during The Game Awards. The new video game adaptation is being published by Perfect World Entertainment and developed by the aforementioned Cryptic Studios, both of which also previously released Neverwinter, another property owned by Wizards of the Coast.
Magic: Legends entered its open beta on PC last week via the Epic Games Store, although the game is also set to release on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 when it fully releases later this year. The game features a unique card-based gameplay system that utilizes elements of the tabletop game. And with the amount of lore Magic: The Gathering has built up over the past few decades, there’s definitely a lot for Magic: Legends to pull from for its world. Some of the popular locations from the Magic: The Gathering universe that have already been featured in the game so far include Zendikar and Innistrad.
Cryptic Studios and Magic: Legends executive producer Steve Ricossa has published a blog post that addresses the current state of the game’s open beta, including some of the complaints and issues it’s currently facing regarding performance, monetization, and more. In the post, Ricossa first tackles the technical issues that players have been facing since the launch of the open beta and mentions that aside from making adjustments to the game’s server as well as releasing two updates to help resolve the game’s performance, the studio plans to keep improving the game in future updates. Ricossa also announced that the developer plans to remove player to player collision to deal with issues that have arisen since the launch of the open beta concerning the larger number of people currently playing.
Another significant issue that the post covered is about the game’s Dimir Assassin Class, which is now also available through both the free and premium battle pass, giving players the opportunity to unlock the class simply through gameplay rather than having to spend either real or in-game money. The letter also addressed adjusting in-game chat to instanced channels rather than a global one to reduce the amount of spam players received, as well as streamlining the game’s tutorial to make it easier for players to get into the meat of the game. This process includes doubling the drop rate of brand new spells.
The post also addressed the concerns open beta players currently have about the endgame of Magic: Legends. According to Ricossa, given that the game is new and still in open beta, the endgame currently revolves around its Realm system, which ostensibly works as the player’s home base. Players will be able to upgrade and improve elements of their Realms to attain new spells, better and unique artifacts, world enchantments, and more. The studio does plan to expand the Realm system or create new systems in the future, depending on community feedback.
In spite of what some may consider a rocky launch to the open beta, it looks like Cryptic Studios is committed to listening to the feedback of its players and improve the game’s experience based on what the community wants. Releasing a statement just a week after the open beta launched pretty much shows that the studio is keeping an ear to the ground to make sure that it knows what players want for Magic: Legends.
Source: Cryptic Studios