Fresh at the heels of SMITE World Championships, developer Titan Forge Games announced SMITE 2, releasing as a free-to-play game on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox Series S/X, and PlayStation 5 later this year.
According to the developer, SMITE 2 is built using Unreal Engine 5 to “deliver a next-gen experience.” The game will feature updated audio and visuals, improved gameplay, and a redesigned user interface. In addition, players will also enjoy better in-game physics, overhauled item and relic system, new ranking tiers, cross-play capabilities, and improved matchmaking. Cross-progression is currently awaiting approval, so keep your fingers crossed.
Titan Forge also went into further detail about the gameplay changes that set SMITE 2 apart from its predecessor. The most notable is the introduction of Strength and Intelligence aspects for each playable god, which makes way for a variety of playstyles. There are also new god pantheons and a revised Item Store to further support this gameplay change.
Support for original SMITE players
If you’re an active player of SMITE and are worried about the upcoming sequel – don’t fret. Titan Forge has plans in place for you, and it’s called the “Divine Legacy” program.
Under this program, Titan Forge will give legacy players the same amount of gems in SMITE 2 based on their spending in the previous game. These gems, called “Legacy Gems,” can be used as normal in the Item Store to purchase anything. Additionally, legacy players will receive 11 skins unique to them, along with badges and gold mastery levels.
Lastly, if you purchase any new skins in SMITE using your gems, you can use them in SMITE 2 as well. The developer is introducing cross-generation skins to let players enjoy their purchases in both games.
However, don’t expect all of your previous skins to be cross-compatible. Because there are over 1,600 skins released in SMITE throughout the years, porting over every single skin “would take about 246 person-years of work” and is simply impossible. The developers would rather focus on improvements on SMITE 2 than spend their time porting assets over.
Post-launch support for SMITE
Titan Forge also promised continued support for SMITE by pledging to keep the servers live even after SMITE 2 launches. That means players can check out both games and compare the differences. The prequel will also receive regular updates “for the foreseeable future,” so there’s no need to rush your migration from the first to the second game. It’s currently unknown how long SMITE will receive support once SMITE 2 launches.
The only downside is that Nintendo Switch players will have to migrate to another platform if they wish to play SMITE 2, as the game will not launch there.
SMITE 2 Alpha Access
Interested in trying your hand at SMITE 2? You’re in luck because Titan Forge and Hi Rez are holding an alpha playtest sometime this spring. Simply sign up with your email address at the SMITE 2 website, pick your preferred platform (Steam for PC and Steam Deck, Epic Games Store, Xbox, or PlayStation), and wait for further information in your inbox.
Keep in mind that during the alpha access, only a limited roster of playable gods will be available. Many features will also be unavailable, but expect that to change as the weekly playtests take place.
In the meantime, you can watch the official reveal trailer below.
