posted by Olucaron

ADVERTISING:

Capitalising on current trends

“Do we really need this?”

Big names brought in to build the hype

“Pay-to-pay-to-play-to-win”

Acquired the entire @PlayArtifact set 0 (basics) and set 1 (starter set) for ~$180 for 3 of every card (except heroes x1). So many gauntlets rolled in for ages, and I have 40 tickets + 12 packs currently waiting on top of that. — Ben Steenhuisen (@followNoxville) November 29, 2018

I'm sure Valve is well aware of their own CCU :) — Steam Spy (@Steam_Spy) December 8, 2018

Player base tanks just weeks after release

Artifact is a great, well designed game imo. Lots of Dota players tried it, and many aren’t interested in playing more. That’s fine imo, the game will rebuild with a dedicated player base. — Kevin 'Purge' Godec (@PurgeGamers) December 13, 2018

What next for Artifact?

Update coming this week. One feature is chat. Possess your cards and make them speak, send custom messages, or invite your opponent to a traditional Steam Chat. Make your heroes say voice lines. One click opt-in to custom messages from non-friends. One click blocking. pic.twitter.com/1eWeHWxsOK — Artifact (@PlayArtifact) December 11, 2018

Anyone interested in joining more Artifact tournaments I made a Steam group for inhouses!https://t.co/q2GcJoOdQn — Cap (@DotACapitalist) December 13, 2018

Collectible Card Games (CCGs) have taken the competitive gaming world by storm in the last few years, largely led by Blizzard’s Warcraft-based behemoth,andare just some examples of digital CCGs entering the arena aiming to reap some of the rewards, while Wizards of the Coast are aiming to leverage their massive fanbase with the release ofSo, a highly competitive market — expected to be worth $1.5 billion in 2018 according to a SuperData report — meant that Artifact had its work cut out from day one.However, withcreator Richard Garfield behind it, surelywould be a hit. The key questions were twofold — could it convert theplayer base to CCGs while taking players away from competing games in the CCG space?Things didn’t get off to the best of starts. Firstly, the announcement ofat TI7 was not met with the most positive response — community sentiment was something along the lines of ‘do we really need this?’However, a playable debut at PAX West in Valve’s Seattle backyard led to the game drawing praise from the Dota community for the way it translated the main game’s experience into a CCG. The buzz forwas beginning to build.Offering a three-lane structure — a key characteristic of the parent game — it brought lore and characters fans knew and loved. Perhaps most importantly, it appeared to translate Dota’s notoriously high barrier to entry —is not meant to be an easy game, in any form, and fans are quick to highlight that in debates with fans of, say,So, fans had a game that appeared oppressively complex, but was fun to learn.Valve followed the PAX debut with the Artifact Preview Tournament . Offering a $10,000 prize pool and hosted by Beyond the Summit, the event drew an invitational field of competitors featuring some of the biggest names in CCGs — and a veritable superstar ofin the form of The International 2017 winner Kuro S. ' KuroKy ' Takhasomi.However, the tournament failed to pique the interest of the community, with the most common complaint being that nobody seemed to really understand what was taking place in front of them. Cycling back to the complexity of, it appeared that there was just too much going on for it to be a positive viewing experience.It was certainly ambitious, but despite a fun turn by BTS producer Ken “Hot_Bid” Chen, an overall peak audience of 89.7k quickly dissipated to an underwhelming average of just over 30,000. In China, one of’s key markets, viewership topped out at just 7.8k received its full release just three weeks later on November 28, and anger soon became the main first impression. The game was $19.99 to purchase, and fans soon found that if you wanted to do anything, then microtransactions were the gateway.Players were initially given two decks of 40 cards, with ten packs and five event tickets also granted. It soon became obvious that these would not be enough to be competitive, therefore being pigeonholed into purchasing new packs. Although nothing new in CCGs, fans felt aggrieved that the lack of any realistic free-to-play method of advancement restricted their experience.Theoretically new packs could be earned without spending real-world money, but the requirements amounted to going on the kind of win streaks in Draft Mode that most players dream of — five wins before suffering two defeats, to be precise. To be able to play Draft Mode in the first place, players would need those Event Tickets — which could only be purchased in $4.95 bundles of five.In order to build a relevant, competitive deck to give them that chance at rewards, players would therefore either need to trade individual cards on the real-money marketplace (Valve receiving a cut of any trade) or purchase $1.99 packs in the hope of getting the cards they needed — but even then the cards received could be Starter Set cards and essentially worthless.With negative sentiment quickly seeping in, Valve announced Phantom Draft, a mode designed to allow players to practice Draft Mode before diving into competitiveproper. However, this has so far failed to set the world alight, and the number of people playing the game has fallen to shocking lows.Just 24 hours after release,peaked at 60,740 players. At the time of writing, there are just 7,578 people playing — with a new all-time low of 5,127 concurrent players being registered last night.The fall in numbers is a worrying trend and one that has taken people by surprise, but the game is in its early stages. Announcing several changes to the game two days ago, Valve reaffirmed their commitment to growing the game in a reply to a disgruntled player:They have also announced a $1 million tournament to be held in 2019, which will surely help to increase the buzz around’s competitive scene and give an incentive for players to keep playing — with a long-term, sustainable circuit the likely aim.While the game is far from perfect as it stands, there is cause for optimism. CCGs are typically evolutionary in nature, with tweaks to their gameplay and economies in accordance to trends and community sentiment. The more successful games in the CCG market have had time to grow, andshould be no different.Also, the fact that several prominent Dota 2 community members are playing the game is also a plus — SirActionSlacks’ DECKPACITO podcast series is just one example of content being created around the game, while streamers continue to broadcast. At the time of writing, more than 12,000 people are watchingstreams on Twitch alone.With smart changes and a continued willingness to listen to the community, Valve have the opportunity to build on a game which has been praised for its actual gameplay experience — the part that ultimately matters.The only real barriers to's success appear to be the game’s economy and lack of ranked progression, two things that are not impossible to change and fix, and are more likely to come sooner rather than later.In the end, 2019 could easily shape up to be the year of, should Valve get it right. The ball is very much in their court, and they are ready to play.