Valve has been pelted with requests from gamers with requests for new games almost every time the company updates Dota 2 or rolls out a new patch for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The company is constantly being asked about new games, and constantly being asked about when there's going to be a new entry in Half-Life or a third-outing for Left 4 Dead. Valve finally responded to requests for a new game by announcing that there is a new CCG in the works called Artifact, and that it's a card game based on Dota 2. The company also finally revealed that the new title is due for release before this year out... more specifically, it's set to drop this November.
Polygon is reporting that Artifact will be released on November 28th of this year. The game will be available on Linux, Mac and on Windows for PC. Obviously, you'll need the Steam client to get your hands on the game, and so far Valve doesn't seem to have any plans on launching the title for home consoles, although that could change in the near future depending on how the game is designed.
We've seen titles like Portal 2, Half-Life and Team Fortress 2 make their way to home consoles in the past, so it's totally possible Artifact could make the leap as well. However, that all depends on whether or not Valve decides to open the game up to modding and community customization, because if that happens then you can basically kiss a console release goodbye due to the fact that a lot of features could end up being lost in translation as the game makes its way into the closed ecosystems of the Xbox One and PS4. Of course, there is the example of Bethesda having launched some mod tools for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Fallout 4, giving console gamers a small taste of what's possible from the PC modding scene, but Valve hasn't seemed too keen to hop into that boat... yet.
As for Artifact, the game will be on display for the first time for public consumption at this year's PAX West event set to take place in Seattle, Washington. Gamers will be able to get in some game time between August 31st and September 3rd, where PvP single-elimination tournaments will take place and a champion will be crowned. Valve will also be giving out Artifact merchandise to the winners, which also includes two free game keys for when the game is released, so the champion and their best friend (or arch rival) will be able to duke it out in the card game when it finally launches.
This will be the first time that Valve will be able to gauge community feedback in real-time from those who are in attendance at PAX. The test will also give them the ability to take in criticisms and some bug testing so that the game can be further improved for its release in November.
Initially, the announcement of Artifact did not go over so well with gamers when the game was first revealed because everyone wanted a new Half-Life or Portal game. The company toughed it out through the criticisms and just keep moving forward with the card game, despite some protests that gamers weren't interested in a Hearthstone or Yu-Gi-Oh clone. However, the real test will be when Artifact launches on the market and gamers have an opportunity to play it for themselves.
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