Paladins is the Latest F2P Shooter from Hi-Rez Studios

Hi-Rez Studios, the developer behind the action MOBA Smite, have revealed Paladins, their latest game. 

Paladins is a free-to-play game currently under development for the PC and current-generation consoles. The game combines a fantasy setting "set 1,000 years in the future" with the fast pace and team-based combat of an FPS like Team Fortress 2. 

Beyond the core FPS experience, the game is also set to offer deep strategy amd in-match character progression through decks of collectible cards that can modify and augment a character's core set of abilities.

“We’ve managed to keep Paladins under wraps for over a year now, so the dev team is really looking forward to receiving feedback from the hands-on demo at gamescom,” said Todd Harris, COO at Hi-Rez Studios. “We’ve focused on making something we find fun and competitive, and soon players will help us craft how Paladins grows from here.”

In Paladins, two teams of players will go up against each other to control capture points and demolish the enemy's base while defending their own. Every character enters the fray with a primary weapon, a set of combat and movement abilities, and a personal mount to carry them through the game's wide-open battlefields. Players also begin with a set of skill cards that can be activated and evolved upon leveling up within the match itself.

“Paladins has been a passion project of ours from the beginning,” commented Mick Larkins, senior producer on the title. “We’ve dedicated a separate team from SMITE to work on it, and while we are still early in development, we know we’re crafting something very special. Paladins is extremely quick, with a great deal of depth in how it blends action, tactics, and teamwork, and we’re excited for gamers to start discovering all it has to offer.”

The game is slated for release on the PC and current-generation consoles in 2016.