Valve to launch its Artifact card game on November 28

Announced in 2017 and showcased on a few different occasions throughout 2018, Valve’s Artifact digital trading card game was recently confirmed to be launched on November 28. First public demo will be running during PAX West in Seattle between August 31 and September 3 this year. Valve is planning to give beta game keys and merchandise to players who win the ad hoc single elimination tournament held at that convention.

This game combines the hero system, lane strategies and item enhancements from DotA with tradeable cards akin to Magic: The Gathering. Valve even recruited famous game designer Richard Garfield who is the creator of Magic: The Gathering and several other popular board games, so Artifact has all the necessary ingredients to take on Blizzard’s Hearthstone and MTG itself.

The base set that will be released in late November will include more than 280 cards, of which 44 represent legendary heroes. As it is slated to be available through Steam for US$19.99, this platform will allow the game to run on Windows, Mac and Linux primarily, with Android and iOS versions coming in 2019. The trading aspect of the game will also be supported on the Steam Community Marketplace, where players can buy/sell and trade unwanted cards for other needed cards.

Valve also plans to release card expansions and expanded game mechanics just like any modern living card game. There will also be support for competitive events, and if DotA 2 prize pools are any indication, Valve is most likely to offer substantial prizes for Artifact as well.

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