BEST UPCOMING COMPETITIVE MULTIPLAYER GAMES
June 30, 2017
Competitive gaming is the lifeblood of many a gamer, so it’s always exciting when new games are announced that offer the chance for competitive multiplayer. The monumental industry that is esports is growing exponentially each year, and we think these games have a good chance at becoming the next big thing in the competitive multiplayer scene.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds
It was recently announced at E3 that Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds is officially coming to Xbox One before it launches on PlayStation 4. So far the community reaction to Battlegrounds – more commonly referred to as PUBG – has been phenomenally positive, with streamers helping the marketing immensely.
For those that haven’t been bitten by the PUBG bug, Battlegrounds is a 100-player battle royale where the last player (or team) standing wins. All one hundred players start in a massive plane above the map and can jump out whenever they please. What follows is an intense looting session followed by the numbers slowly dropping until only a few remain in the games iconic “final circle”.
As far as competitive multiplayer goes, the game is constantly being updated and tweaked, the combat is tight, and the firefights are incredible. PUBG relies heavily on strategy and planning, as well as risk taking. We totally expect Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds to become the next greatest esport franchise.
Destiny 2
Who could deny the astounding success of the Destiny franchise, and with Destiny 2 around the corner, there’s a good chance that the multiplayer aspect of Destiny will birth a competitive scene.
The first title in the Destiny franchise had its own in-house competitive multiplayer in the form of Trials of Osiris. This was an intense 3v3 elimination style game where there are no respawns, save for if a teammate manages to bring you back.
Trials of Osiris required map control, complete understanding of classes and their abilities, as well as constant practice and perfection of the given meta. One season saw Thorn rule the Crucible followed by the likes of fast rate of fire Pulse Rifles and even Scout Rifles.
With Destiny 2 on the horizon, and the player size changing to 4v4, the competitive multiplayer scene is going to see a new contender enter the mix. We can’t wait to see how the community reacts to Destiny 2 when it hits consoles in September and PCs in October.
LawBreakers
LawBreakers is the first title by Boss Key Productions, a company headed by Cliff Bleszinski. This brand new IP is an arena-style first-person shooter that blends Unreal Tournament with Overwatch.
Revealed at this year’s E3 during the PC Gaming Show, LawBreakers boasts gravity defying combat and an array of unique characters each with their own abilities and powers. The fantastic thing about LawBreakers is that it is being designed specifically for a certain type of audience: the lovers of all things fast-paced. It looks to require twitch reflexes and split-second decision making.
Games like Quake and Unreal Tournament have always drawn huge crowds of avid fans, and have created some of the best competitive multiplayer experiences around. Whether it was getting together with friends and having a LAN or competing in official competitions, these kinds of games thrive when there is an avid audience to consume and perfect them – and LawBreakers is no different.
Cliff Bleszinski has an excellent track record with Gears of War, which is a title still being played on a competitive level at grand events, so our confidence in LawBreakers is sky high. We just know the competitive multiplayer community is going to embrace this with open arms.
Splatoon 2
Nintendo’s Splatoon came out of nowhere and blew everyone away for its creative take on competitive multiplayer. Like a painter’s worst nightmare, Splatoon involves players shooting one another with paint and literally painting the town red – or whatever is your team’s color.
There’s a twist, players can also turn into squids that can swim through their own paint color, even going as far as being able to swim up walls. The levels end up looking like an old paintball field with paint splattered everywhere.
The idea is to use your paint to damage the enemy team, earning points. Paint is fired and spread using all manner of weaponry that mimic real guns, and with melee items such as paint rollers and brushes. What at first looks like hilarious and simple fun, actually hides a deeper strategy, with teams already competing around the world of huge prize pools.
Oddly, the Nintendo Switch suffers from some odd communication choices. The Switch has no built-in chat function, instead it requires the use of a mobile-based app. While this is a peculiar way to do things, the success of Splatoon and its competitive multiplayer set an excellent foundation for Splatoon 2 to have its own esports league.
Call of Duty WW2
Call of Duty belongs on every single list regarding competitive multiplayer. The entire franchise is built around praising quick reflexes, decision making, and teamwork. Now that Call of Duty WW2 has been revealed, there’s a good chance it could be the title to take over from Infinite Warfare and its hold on the competitive multiplayer scene.
This return to the World War 2 era and its standard, non-modern weaponry, could create a massive shift in competitive multiplayer. The gamers who left the competitive scene when Call of Duty shifted to a more sci-fi orientation will likely return to embrace this new direction.
It will be interesting to see what happens to COD esports when Call of Duty WW2 launches on November 3rd 2017. But one thing’s for certain, it will likely going to result in some huge numbers tuning in to see their favorite teams compete!
It’s an exciting time to be a gamer interested in competitive multiplayer. Whether it’s the likes of ECS with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive or MLG with Halo 5, now is the time to be into esports. The rest of the year is looking phenomenal as more games enter the arena to prove their worth!
