[AnimeGamer]

Eternal Return Director Interview and Rumors of Inclusion in Asian Games?

Figure 1. Eternal Return Director Interview

Eternal Return is a game that needs no introduction as it has single-handedly taken over the South and Central Asian countries. While also doing the impossible by taking the League of Legends player base from Korea, a feat no one could have fathomed a few years ago. But this sudden fame and rise to one of the best MOBAs wasn’t without its hardships. As the game developer, Nimble Neuron started with a small team and a simple dream. A dream that many others had also dreamt but in the end failed at. Until Nimble Neuron who through grit and determination managed to not only get the game in early access but also expand their team to support a full 1.0 release. Not only that they then followed it up with the first-ever Eternal Return Master Esports event which proved the game's immense potential and the player's need for a game to fix the problems brought about by League of Legends on the MOBA esports.

Figure 2. Tokyo Game Show 2023 Eternal Return Booth, Perhaps the First Step Toward Global Partnership?

Regarding the game's recent success and massive improvements, the developers were interviewed in November 2023, and it seems that they have some mighty plans not only for the game but for the MOBA esports landscape as a whole. In the interview, the developers expressed their shock at the reception of the game and its overall success. As at the launch of the game, the goal of concurrent players was only 20,000 and it seems it was shattered in the first few weeks. Alongside that, they have also expressed interest in expanding the roster of characters and reworking some of the older characters to make sure the game is in a well-balanced place. It also included the revamping of the Colab protocol and the introduction of colored weakness.

Figure 3. Eternal Return Busan Esports

In said interview, the prospect of expanding the game to a multi-national audience was also brought up, and to that end, the developers wished for the game's inclusion in the Busan Esports Exhibition to be the catalyst for it. G-Star 2023 was also mentioned as a popular event that could bring mainstream media coverage to the game. Lastly, the developers discussed the future challenges that they wish to avoid regarding the game. Such as complications of the game's systems as they introduce new ones to balance out the meta. Hence they wish to introduce a more complex tutorial mode that not only teaches the player how to play casually but also competitively. Perhaps Eternal Return's recent participation in the Tokyo Game Show 2023 (Figure 2) is part of the director's plans to expand globally.

Figure 4. Asian Games, Perhaps Eternal Return's 1st Goal

Lastly to close out, in recent news a fake announcement was released by a supposed pro player wanting the game to be featured in the Asian Games esports category. This suggests that many Eternal Return gamers are eager for the game to advance to international competitions such as Asian Games. A quite controversial statement as the inclusion of esports in said games is quite recent and to already want a niche and upcoming game to be included would not only be bad for the community but also the game. Despite the greatness of Eternal Return we still need to keep in mind the fact that the game is still quite relatively new and many others already deserve a spot in said games. But alas, who knows maybe the game will be able to one day truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the iconic titles in the Asian Games?



@"everyone"