Smite 2 Revealed, Built With Unreal Engine 5

gamerant.com:

Hi-Rez Studios revealed Smite 2, the sequel to its third-person MOBA Smite, and confirmed that the upcoming title was built using Unreal Engine 5. Smite 2 was revealed nearly a decade after the full release of Smite, and Hi-Rez Studios answered a few questions that players had concerning how their efforts and unlocks from Smite would carry over into Smite 2.

In Smite, players assume the mantle of various gods and mythological figures in team-based battles. Based on real-world pantheons, including Greek mythology, each deity in Smite is assigned different combat roles, such as ranged or melee damage. At the time of writing, Smite currently has 129 playable gods for players to pick from, with the Japanese yokai Bake Kujira being the most recent addition to the roster as a Guardian. Though Smite is a free-to-play title, unlocking heroes requires the use of in-game currencies such as «Favor» or «Gems» that can be earned via normal gameplay, or by microtransactions made on storefronts such as Steam and the PlayStation Store, depending on the player's chosen way of accessing Smite.

Smite players will soon have another way of playing the third-person MOBA they enjoy. Smite 2 is an Unreal Engine 5 title that will have closed alpha testing in the spring of 2024. Interested players are encouraged to sign up in advance, as Hi-Rez stated that alpha access to Smite 2 will be done via an email containing an access code for the platform of their choice. According to Hi-Rez Studios, the technical debt accrued from making Smite in Unreal Engine 3 was a major reason why a rebuild was necessary. Hi-Rez added that Smite 2 is in a pre-alpha state and that a limited roster of gods will be available during alpha testing. Smite will continue to