After participating in a week long beta, we now know what to expect from the Switch version of the popular mobile MOBA Arena of Valor. While the mobile version has been out for a while, more and more developers are finding that the Switch breathes new life into their games. With a hungry audience and a distinct lack of MOBA titles on Switch, Arena of Valor could become an insanely popular game after launch and has the potential to overthrow the esports greats like Fortnite and League of Legends.
An official release date for the Switch has yet to be revealed, but we have been spending more a more time with the mobile version to get more accustomed to the various characters. We’ve already spent a lot of time with Arum (who is just one hell of a tank) and we are quickly learning that there are a few different ways to approach these characters. Playing on the Switch, especially while docked with a pro controller definitely made things easier than using a cramped touch screen. That alone could bring players to it, but this title is one of Tencent’s top games.
While the game has a larger presence in China, there is still a lot of huge esports events happening around it. The upcoming World Cup has twelve teams from ten regions with a total of $550,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. The top team is going to win $200,000 which is an awful large sum of cash for a mobile game. The Arena of Valor website claims that it is the largest money pool in mobile game esports history (unless you count Fortnite's current plan for 2018).
The esports foundation is already there, but dropping the game onto the Switch might just boost it into a super prominent title. Especially considering that the Switch is capable of running the game at a great performance, has a few different controller options for players to mess with, and is a simple item to setup when it comes to organizing events. Could we see players ganking in the jungle with a Gamecube controller in the future? It’s definitely a possibility.
All in all, Tencent cannot be underestimated. At the end of 2017, Arena of Valor had an estimated 200 million players worldwide with 80 million daily active users. If they are able to connect with western players either through it’s mobile and esports efforts, or more likely their Switch port, we could see a paradigm shift in esports.
Until the game launches on Switch though, it’s just an educated speculation.
Either way, keep an eye on Arena of Valor. The official Arena of Valor Twitch channel is the best place for those looking for esports action. World Cup matches start on Wednesday July 18th and could be a driving factor for the future of the game as an esport.
