In January, developer Hi-Rez Studios officially announced SMITE 2, its upcoming sequel to its popular mythology-themed free-to-play MOBA game. While the sequel, like the original, will be a free-to-play title, Hi-Rez did launch three paid Founders Packs for SMITE 2 this week. They include some extra in-game content, some leveling bonuses, and access to all of the game"s Gods characters forever.
Well, the launch of those Founders Packs, which cost between $29.99 and $99.99, has caused SMITE 2 to hit the top of Valve"s Steam best-selling games list at the moment. It"s extremely unusual for a game to hit the top of the Steam sales charts that hasn"t been released and likely won"t be for at least several months. Those same founders packs are also available to purchase from the Epic Games Store, along with Microsoft"s Xbox Series X and S consoles and Sony"s PlayStation 5 console.
Hi-Rez also announced that the first closed alpha test for SMITE 2 will be held sometime in May. People who purchase the game"s Founders Packs are guaranteed access to these closed alpha test periods before the open beta test launches sometime later in 2024. If you don"t purchase a Founders Pack, you might still be able to get access to the closed alpha tests via key giveaways on social media outlets.
The original SMITE game launched first for the PC in 2014 and later expanded to consoles over the next several years. In 2020, Hi-Rez announced the first SMITE game was played by 40 million gamers.
SMITE 2 was created from the ground up to be a true sequel, running on Unreal Engine 5. Players won"t be able to directly transfer their content and progression from the original game to the sequel, but it will be used to help generate extra in-game currency and special unlocks in SMITE 2.