Most Anticipated MOBAs of 2016 .

Another year has come and gone. The MOBA genre has seen its share of ups and downs this year with the closure of games like Infinite Crisis and while others, such as Heroes of the Storm, have shown to be successful. The last few years have been very volatile with so many publishers wanting to replicate the success of Riot Games and Valve. This has led to a vast number of MOBAs being produced, but few have successfully made it out of beta testing. With the end of 2015 quickly approaching it’s now time to look forward to what the future of 2016 is going to bring the MOBA universe.

 

Battleborn

Although Battleborn is not a full-fledged MOBA, it does incorporate many of the genre’s elements into the game’s multiplayer modes. One of the biggest difference between Battleborn and every other game on this list is that it also has a co-op PvE mode. Generally MOBAs focus solely on PvP combat, but the FPS nature of Battleborn combined with Gearbox’s ability to deliver a decent story will give the game more diversity than most.

At its core, Battleborn is a cooperative shooter, much like Borderlands, but it hits almost every qualifier to be a MOBA as well. In the Incursion multiplayer mode, players will be helping AI-controlled minions push into the enemy base. As minions press forward they will damage enemy sentry shields and leave them vulnerable to player attacks. Additionally, players can destroy shard clusters to power up tactical structures throughout the battlefield. Just like in all other Battleborn game modes, characters will level up and have to choose from one of two abilities per level.

Currently, Battleborn is scheduled to launch on May 3, 2016, which was pushed back from an earlier February release date. It was probably a good move to push the game back and make sure the final product is sound before shipping copies out. The gameplay demonstration at PAX Prime was put together well, but it was clear the game wasn’t ready at that point. There are simply too many unfinished products out there looking for public support.

 

Paladins: Champions of the Realm

Another FPS that doesn’t technically classify itself as a “MOBA” is the upcoming strategic, team-based shooter from Hi-Rez. Paladins basically combines the FPS point capture and MOBA genres together to create a kind of tug-of-war gameplay mechanic.

In Paladins, players choose one of a handful of currently available champions. There are most of the typical archetypes: Archer girl, Dwarf mechanic, Knight in shining armor, the Orc shaman, and a few others. The goal is to fight over one of three capture points in order to spawn a siege engine. The siege engine will attack the enemy base and attempt to destroy its three walls. Once the third wall of either base is destroyed the game is over.

During each match, players progress using a deck of cards that range from common to legendary. Thankfully, each champion now starts with at least one legendary in order to make things a little more balanced. The card system is really just as a place holder for obtaining new perks and doesn’t really bring anything unique to the level-up system besides making it more random. As players win matches they’re rewarded with new cards and duplicates can be combined into stronger versions.

There isn’t an official release date scheduled for Paladins yet, but Hi-Rez has never been one to set hard launch times. So far, there has been a lot of feedback from the community and Hi-Rez has definitely been willing to listen to its audience. Anyone looking to give it a try can sign up through the website or purchase a founder’s pack.

 

Gigantic

Initially scheduled to release this year, Gigantic had to be pushed back to 2016 after feedback during its beta test. It’s being developed by Motiga, which was previously unknown before this project, and has a very unique art style. Gigantic is the final MOBA on this list that has decided to take a shooter approach the genre, but it does so in third-person instead of first.

One of the key components that makes Gigantic unique is the vertical aspect to its battlegrounds. MOBAs are generally played on a flat surface and even SMITE never diverged from that aspect. However, vertical assets play a huge role in Gigantic by providing cover for ranged classes while allowing melee ones to sneak past enemy lines.

Gigantic was originally introduced during PAX Prime 2014 and transitioned from alpha to closed beta earlier this year. There’s no official release date for Gigantic yet, but it’s expected to be early 2016.

 

Supernova

Supernova stands as the only traditional MOBA on this list, but it has a few extra mechanics that make it much more interesting. Instead of attempting to minimize the amount of macro in the game, Supernova goes back to the RTS roots and allows each player to customize the troops in their lane. As each game progresses, players can upgrade their armies and change which units are spawned to counter the enemy. This essentially turns the minion waves into a rock, paper, scissors mini-game, but having a gold advantage will now push a team ahead even further.

Other than the army management system, Supernova is your typical MOBA with support, damage, and tank class heroes. There’s also a jungle with some powerful creeps in it, and a slightly more open-ended item system. Currently in closed beta, there’s no set release schedule for Supernova, but it should at least hit open beta sometime next year. Supernova is Bandai Namco’s first attempt at making an eSports title, and is one of the headliners for its new free-to-play division.

 

Warhammer 40k: Dark Nexus Arena

Warhammer 40k: Dark Nexus just released on Steam early access, but it is very much still rough around the edges. Players take control of heroes from the various Warhammer 40k factions and duel it out MOBA style. Instead of focusing on base destruction, Dark Nexus is more about securing player and tower kills. Furthermore, the game utilizes WASD movement and attacks have to be aimed correctly, which makes the game feel almost like a twin-stick shooter.

There are only a handful of characters available right now, and it does feel very far from complete. If you’re a diehard Warhammer 40k fan then you might be interested in supporting this one to gain immediate access, but it still has a long way to go to compete with the other options out there.

These are just a few of the MOBAs and semi-MOBA hybrids that are expected to come out in 2016. Don’t forget to vote for the best MOBA of 2015 over in our end of the year reader’s poll.

Related: Battleborn, Column, Gigantic, MOBA, MOBA Monday, Paladins, Supernova, Warhammer 40k Dark Nexus Arena