Amazon Puts Heat on E-Sports Giants With Crucible

Crucible will challenge the dominance of Fortnite, Overwatch, and League of Legends.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 21 May 2020 14:28 IST

Amazon Puts Heat on E-Sports Giants With Crucible

Photo Credit: Twitter/ @playcrucible

The launch comes as other tech giants make their own game moves.

Highlights

The launch comes as other tech giants make their own game moves
Crucible will be a direct competitor to Fortnite and League of Legends
It is a team-based action shooter driven by choices you make

Amazon launched an assault on Fortnite and other eSports giants Wednesday with team shooter Crucible, aiming to expand its territory in the world of game playing.

Release of the free online title by Amazon Game Studios comes as people staying home to avoid the deadly coronavirus turn to video games for entertainment and social contact.

Streamers will be playing Crucible LIVE starting tomorrow at 9am (6pm CEST)! Check out all the action at https://t.co/WBJnI8XTpZ—streamers have codes to give away, so you might get a head start code of your own. pic.twitter.com/Wru0jkH83B
— Crucible (@PlayCrucible) May 19, 2020

Crucible will challenge the dominance of Fortnite, Overwatch, and League of Legends, which have won legions of fans, with online match-ups pitting characters with various abilities or weaponry against one another.

It is tailored for play on Windows-powered personal computers, playing to the strength of Amazon-owned Twitch, a popular platform for streaming games and commentary.

The Steam gaming website promised the title would be available midday (2000 GMT) Wednesday in California.

It is the first major title from Amazon Game Studios, which is also working on a multiplayer online game based on the Lord of the Rings.

The developers call Crucible a "team-based action shooter driven by the choices you make," featuring alien adversaries.

The launch comes as other tech giants make their own game moves.

Google recently launched its streaming game service Stadia, and Apple Arcade offers titles for iOS-powered devices.

Facebook last month launched a stand-alone app allowing users to create and watch livestreams of games.

And Microsoft recently offered a glimpse at games for its new Xbox console, coming this year, which it hopes will help it compete with Sony's leading PlayStation devices.

Microsoft has not yet announced a release date.

Sony is also to release its PlayStation 5 model later this year. PlayStation 4 consoles have trounced Xbox One in sales since the rival gaming systems launched in late 2013.

Amazon Game Studios two years ago pulled the plug on development of Breakaway, which was to be its first new title in the hot e-sport arena of video game play as spectator sport.

US online retail giant Amazon snatched up Twitch and its huge audience for live-streamed gaming in 2014 for nearly $1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,579 crores).

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