Blizzard DOTA unveiled at BlizzCon 2011

We knew Blizzard had a DotA custom game in the works for Starcraft II. At BlizzCon 2011 the publisher took the wraps off Blizzard DOTA with a great video, screens, and the first details on the game.

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We've known Blizzard had its own Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) inspired custom game in the works for Starcraft II. At BlizzCon 2011, the wraps came off to reveal the game now to be known as Blizzard DOTA. The trailer below offers a good first look at the game in action and some of the heroes. We also got a massive drop of screens that show off heroes, map lanes, and more. And to go with them, Blizzard supplied a number of answers to some of the questions you're sure to asking. We've got those details below but to answer one of the top priorities; Blizzard says it plans to offer a number of ways to Blizzard DOTA for free, but the specifics aren't set as yet. It could be part of the Starcraft II: Starter Edition, with some sort of content restrictions. Another possibility under consideration is to give exclusive content to owners of games such as Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm.

Blizzard promises its take on DotA will be based on the company's "easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master" design philosophy. A twist on how towers work was given as an example of this approach in action. In Blizzard DOTA towers have a limited supply of energy that recharges over time. This means that an attacker making a push can more easily overwhelm the tower by effectively running it out of ammo. The middle ground of maps, known as the "jungle," also sees some changes. As opposed to clearing out creeps to earn power-ups for individual heroes, there are power nodes to capture that boost the strength of your team's attacking creatures out in the lanes.

As the title implies, the setup for the game takes full advantage of the Blizzard catalog. The basic idea is that two gods (the players) battle for fun and ladder points in a transdimensional pocket universe by pulling in heroes from the great Blizzard franchises. Twelve of them are on display at Blizzcon, including Witchdoctor, Nova, Thrall, Arthas, Queen of Blades, Muradin, Za'gara, Stitches, Zeratul, and Sylvanis. Plans call for more to be in the game before it officially releases, but Blizzard advises that it intends to go for quality over quantity. Every hero will have a role to play, and not all of them will be killing machines.

Yes, a beta is planned for some time in the next few months. Until then we'll have to be content with this video and the screenshots.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    October 21, 2011 3:15 PM

    Garnett Lee posted a new article, Blizzard DOTA unveiled at BlizzCon 2011.

    We knew Blizzard had a DotA custom game in the works for Starcraft II. At BlizzCon 2011 the publisher took the wraps off Blizzard DOTA with a great video, screens, and the first details on the game.

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      October 21, 2011 3:18 PM

      [deleted]

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      October 21, 2011 3:24 PM

      Hahahaha oh jesus, Blizzard has some gorilla-sized balls to actually call it "Blizzard DOTA"

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        October 21, 2011 3:42 PM

        Why? I imagine in the EULA for their map making tools it states they own the rights to whatever you make.

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          October 21, 2011 3:45 PM

          Because of DOTA2, obviously.

          I mean they're basically saying "Oh you like DOTA2 huh? Come try BLIZZARD's DOTA instead!"

          I mean hell they might have well called it "The better DOTA game"

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            October 21, 2011 4:29 PM

            And what was Valve saying when they called it DOTA 2?

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              October 21, 2011 4:45 PM

              I also thought it was pretty pretentious for them to call it DOTA2 when they didn't make DotA in the first place! But that was like a billion years ago in Internet time

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                October 21, 2011 4:53 PM

                [deleted]

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                  October 21, 2011 4:56 PM

                  Haha yes! I can't wait to see Valve's Superheroes 2

                  Except that couldn't happen because "Superhero" is actually a joint trademark between Marvel and DC

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                  October 22, 2011 2:40 AM

                  All the original Team Fortress devs went to work for Valve, though.

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        October 21, 2011 3:46 PM

        I am starting to think that "Dota" just might go the way of "laser" and "radar" and become the name of the genre and a word in its own right.

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          October 21, 2011 3:48 PM

          I completely agree. I wouldn't necessarily have agreed before this announcement, but now that two competing major companies are both calling their game "DOTA", it's destined to just become the name of the genre.

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          October 24, 2011 8:03 AM

          [deleted]

      • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        October 21, 2011 3:48 PM

        It's not even a good name IMO. And it's stupidly misleading since it isn't the same game either. What was wrong with Blizzard All-Stars?

        Also, I still don't know whether or not this is a SC2 custom map. Have they not decided yet or what?

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          October 21, 2011 3:50 PM

          It's not really misleading because, as s2jason said above, "dota" is becoming more and more synonymous with "dota-inspired game", which this most definitely is.

          • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
            reply
            October 21, 2011 3:54 PM

            Except as long as the competition is called "DotA 2" it's more than just the name of a genre. It's like if TOR was called Star Wars World of Warcraft.

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            October 21, 2011 6:25 PM

            I thought MOBA (MOAB? something like that) was becoming the term. Why would a game/map/mod name continue to be the name?

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              October 21, 2011 6:51 PM

              The term MOBA was pushed by Riot - it was never a commonly accepted industry term. Meaning, I don't think I've heard another company use that term besides Riot.

              DOTA has way better name recognition with gamers.

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                October 21, 2011 6:55 PM

                DOTA makes no sense in another game world.

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                October 22, 2011 2:42 AM

                MOBA is such a dumb name. Multiplayer Online Battle Arena could just as well mean a game like Quake.

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              October 22, 2011 8:20 AM

              lol nobody jumped on that bandwagon and Riot games just rode around with it all alone.

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      October 21, 2011 3:29 PM

      Does it have a Dominion style mode?

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      October 21, 2011 3:49 PM

      the world needs more dota games

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        October 21, 2011 4:27 PM

        actually, although this looks like the same old, same old, the reuse of characters from blizzard's games is kind of interesting

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      October 21, 2011 3:50 PM

      Now this looks good! The Valve Dota is missing the boat with the generic same old characters in my opinion.
      Valve characters would of made all the difference, along with art direction.

      My best analogy: If this were competing bowling alleys, Valve Dota looks like a warehouse with a lane a ball and ten pins.

      HON,LOL, and Blizzards Dota, not only have lanes, pins and balls, but snack bars, arcades, and fancy carpet on the walls.

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        October 21, 2011 4:12 PM

        Lets take this wacky analogy a step further. Compared to dota, LoL is like those crazy bowling lanes seen in games like Monkey Ball where they are all curvy or indented in some wacky way (because it adds new dynamics to the gameplay being runes, masteries and summoner spells).

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        October 21, 2011 4:23 PM

        I actually have no idea how that analogy fits. Like I have absolutely no idea what each object in your analogy is supposed to repsent. It makes no sense!

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          October 21, 2011 5:01 PM

          It's all about the pins, OUT. It's always been about the pins.

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          October 21, 2011 5:31 PM

          Valve Dota looks stripped down, feature free, and the others look great and fun?

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            October 21, 2011 6:30 PM

            You are just trolling unless you can give examples. Like how a complete port with lots of additional new features can be "stripped down?"

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              October 21, 2011 6:47 PM

              I did give examples, that no one understood. Without playing them first hand and only having the media that's out there to base my opinion on, I feel Valves Dota is not very good looking graphically.

              That's my opinion, not a troll.
              I love valve too, just think they have missed the mark so far.

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                October 21, 2011 7:04 PM

                "not very good looking graphically" is a completely different claim than "stripped down, feature free [and unfun]"

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                October 22, 2011 4:23 AM

                DOTA 2 looks beautiful. Not to mention the animations and the whole painterly look Valve is doing with it. It moves tons better than this one and the other MOBA titles on the market now.

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        October 21, 2011 4:31 PM

        You need some classes in analogies

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        October 21, 2011 5:05 PM

        quitting high school is bad for you kids

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        October 21, 2011 5:34 PM

        how can you have a bowling analogy without a big lebowski reference. supermonkeyballz this is not nam there are rules

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      October 21, 2011 5:37 PM

      This won't be able to compete with my recently announced DOTA 3 game.

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        October 21, 2011 5:40 PM

        My new game is called MW4. Realistic military FPS- not to be confused with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

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          October 21, 2011 5:49 PM

          After DOTA3 I am going to be making "Modern War 7 DOTA: The authentic DOTA"

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            October 21, 2011 5:50 PM

            After that "League of DOTA Legends" and "Heroes of DOTA"

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              October 22, 2011 7:04 AM

              Defense of the DOTA after that.

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      October 21, 2011 5:41 PM

      Lol. I wonder who approved the V.O. fired

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      October 21, 2011 6:12 PM

      Having never played a DOTA game, and knowing the majority of potential customers probably also have never heard of Dota, I think this is some of the worst marketing moves ever. Both Blizzard and Valve should rename these games.

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        October 21, 2011 6:16 PM

        DOTA is an established IP with a huge following.

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        October 21, 2011 6:53 PM

        just because you haven't heard about it doesn't mean a majority haven't. The demographic for this game is actually very large, and they are willing to throw money at any company willing to make a new one.

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        October 22, 2011 7:01 AM

        [deleted]

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          October 22, 2011 9:09 AM

          I had no clue what DOTA stands for. I just had to look it up. =/

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        October 22, 2011 9:16 AM

        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OzWIFX8M-Y (warning: terrible)

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        October 25, 2011 6:30 AM

        Yeah, creating a game from a mod with milions of players is a terrible marketing move.
        I bet it will not sell milions. Except it will and you stink at marketing. :)

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      October 21, 2011 6:15 PM

      I wish this were a joke.

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        October 22, 2011 9:16 AM

        The trailer seems like it is one.

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      October 21, 2011 6:52 PM

      Trailer seems a little cheesy for a Blizzard one but seems like what they were going for

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      October 21, 2011 10:21 PM

      Too bad the communities for these types of games are such a-holes (in general). Sad.

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      October 22, 2011 12:27 AM

      Blizzard are a bunch of nerds. I hope IceFrog sues them over the term/name "Dota." It's a lot more explicitly infringing than Notch's use of "Scrolls."

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        October 23, 2011 2:45 PM

        icefrog doesn't own dota, he didn't even invent it. DOTA is a rip off of Aeon of Strife, a custom map for SC1 and icefrog actually took the dota project off of the guy who started it (Guinsoo)

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      October 22, 2011 2:44 AM

      It is incredibly stripped down and simplified, I can't emphasize that enough. I wonder who this is going to attract. I can't see LoL or HoN players moving over, at least in the state it's in for the show.

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      October 22, 2011 3:49 AM

      A Blizzard Dota!? All over my face please. Now!

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      October 22, 2011 6:56 AM

      No Diablo universe characters, no lost vikings....

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      October 22, 2011 8:06 AM

      I find it odd that Blizzard is struggling with DOTA. The original was made from their game, and then took off with LOL and HON. Blizzard was lagging for the first time. Then they came out with their DOTA map and it failed, forcing them to relaunch it.

      Why is it so hard for them?

      I sense a lack of true Blizzard attention to this. When Blizzard puts their mind to it, they can take any genre and crush it. I agree this video and narration feels half-hearted...phoned in maybe...even mocking the audience they are going for "No purpose except ladder points."

      It's like they don't understand why DOTA is successful and have no real love for MOBA itself. Sort of like they looked at the market and said..oh this is happening...I guess we should throw our hat in or something...

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        October 22, 2011 8:28 AM

        I feel they're trying to relaunch the same game/mode/gameplay on an already saturated market. Having LoL, HoN and soon DOTA2 in this market (a very small market since MOBA games are a very small gametype actually) and for sure 2 of those (probably dota2 as well) free to play is a stupid marketing move.

        I feel they could spend the resources better on making Titan, WoW, SCII expansions, WCIV (would be sweet).

        It's not worth investing into an already saturated market with no new gameplay, making the exact same game as DOTA2/LoL/HON will not attract any new customers since they can just stick to their MOBA game and get the same blizzard DOTA offers.

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      October 22, 2011 12:15 PM

      Blizzard DotA? That's like Valve stealing my mod, Elements of War, and making Valve EoW... I'll probably have to use EoW now anyways, some company already decided to steal Elements of War

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      October 22, 2011 12:28 PM

      What an insult to the modding community

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      October 23, 2011 4:33 PM

      [deleted]

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      October 25, 2011 6:25 AM

      Jesus christ i'll say goodbye to my wife and kids... WTB

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      October 26, 2011 12:25 AM

      ROFL! Coming soon... *SERIOUSLY*

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      February 12, 2012 7:36 PM

      "The basic idea is that ... gods... in a transdimensional pocket universe ... (pull) in heroes from the great Blizzard franchises."

      Replace Blizzard with idsoftware and it's the back-story of Quake 3: Arena. :)

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