Former Bioware, Riot, Blizzard Devs Reveal 'Dauntless'
By Weston Albert 29 November 2016
A new game titled Dauntless is revealed at The Game Awards, coming from indie developer Phoenix Labs, made up of former developers from BioWare, Riot, Capcom, and Blizzard.
The Game Awards featured trailers for big games like Mass Effect: Andromeda, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Death Stranding. Blockbusters aside, it also included some reveals from independent developers. One of those was for a never-before-announced game called Dauntless. The title in question comes from Phoenix Labs, a relatively unknown developer, but one that is made up of veteran devs from some big studios.
Here’s the reveal trailer for Dauntless, which shows four heroes running through a science-fantasy world:
Dauntless is an online co-op action role-playing game that thrusts players into an “untamed science-fantasy world” as they take the role of one of four elite warriors known as Slayers who protect humanity by hunting giant monsters called Behemoths. The official description of the game sets up the conflict in this mash up of Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, and World of Warcraft:
“The world of Dauntless has been shattered by a cataclysmic event, creating a vast array of uncharted and majestic floating islands. Behemoths, as cunning as they are vicious, consume the land, and it’s up to the Slayers to hunt them down before they destroy what remains of the world. Slayers will explore an ever-changing frontier, brimming with verdant flora and unique wildlife.”
Players won’t be forced to play online with others, as they can go it solo if desired, but they will also be able to join up with parties to take down the giant Behemoth monsters. Phoenix Labs promises a variety of battles saying “no two encounters are alike”. The game also features an upgrade system for players’ armor and weapons as well as a crafting system.
Dauntless is the first game from Phoenix Labs, a Vancouver-based studio stacked with veteran talent from BioWare, Riot Games, Capcom, and Blizzard. The studio was created in 2014 and consists of 40 developers. Co-founder and president Jesse Houston, who has worked on Mass Effect and League of Legends says they want to create games for players to enjoy together:
“Phoenix Labs is made up of the most talented and passionate game developers in the world. We make games because we love to play them, and we want to share these experiences with gamers everywhere. We’ve taken inspiration from games like Dark Souls, Monster Hunter, and World of Warcraft to create a new, gripping gaming experience.”
No actual gameplay has been shown of Dauntless, so it’s unknown exactly how the game controls or even the exact camera angle. Based on the talent pool behind the game, however, it might be worth keeping an eye on this game.
Those interested can find out more about Dauntless at the game’s official site.
Dauntless will be available as a free-to-play downloadable game on PC in 2017.
