'Auto Chess' is going back to its roots with a MOBA spinoff

Auto Chess publisher Dragonest is going back to the game's origins as it has announced a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) spinoff. Auto Chess debuted as a mod for Dota 2, one of the most popular MOBAs on the planet, so it's a case of the snake eating its own tail.

Developer Drodo Studio released the Dota Auto Chess mod in January 2019 before creating a renamed standalone version later that year. Its success prompted Valve to make its own auto battler spinoff of Dota 2 called Dota Underlords. Riot Games also got in on the action with League of Legends auto chess offshoot Teamfight Tactics.

The announcement of Auto Chess MOBA perhaps shouldn't be too surprising, as Dragonest has released other MOBA games. The publisher will bring over characters from Auto Chess as playable heroes. Other features of Auto Chess MOBA include destructible objects and day and night cycles.

Loring Lee, Dragonest's CEO, noted in an announcement video that Auto Chess MOBA won't have pay-to-win elements — all of the heroes and runes will be free. There won't be any way to boost your stats outside of the game either.

Auto Chess MOBA will only be available for mobile at the outset, though Dragonest didn't discuss release details. Given that the standalone version of Auto Chess arrived on iOS and Android before it hit the Epic Games Store and PlayStation 4, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of the MOBA eventually coming to PC or consoles.