Valve’s coming card game, Artifact, is still on track to launch before the end of the year. A tournament with a $1 million prize is scheduled for the first quarter of 2019.
Here’s everything we know about Artifact so far.
It’s clear that Valve are keen for Artifact to have a competitive scene. Revenue from pack openings will feed into tournament prize pools, much like compendiums do in Dota 2. There will be automated tournaments for all skill levels, as well as separate, professional tournament events.
Valve say Artifact will build on what they’ve learned from CS:GO, TF2, and Dota 2, both in terms of tournament organisation and spectator friendliness. We hear you’ll be able to flip through a player’s deck, browse their live stats, and so on, while watching events.
Last we heard, a number of pro card game players had gotten their hands on a playable build of Artifact. At a reveal event at their offices in Bellevue, Valve confirmed that the game is essentially in a closed beta phase, with a mix of players drawn from the pro TCG scene and the industry.