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Auto battlers started with Dota Auto Chess and now Valve and Riot Games are joining in
Auto battlers are multiplayer strategy games. Players select and assemble a lineup of characters to pit against opponents, then the game automatically plays round-by-round to see who wins. Popular games include Auto Chess, Dota Underlords and League of Legends Teamfight Tactics.
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This article originally appeared on ABACUS
For many people, a game involving monsters roaming a chess board and smashing each other until one side wins will bring to mind a very iconic scene in cinematic history: The “chess scene” from the original Star Wars.
While the holographic chess game (dejarik for the real fans out there) from the film might not exist in the real world, there are some similarities with a new, very modern type of strategy game: Auto battlers.
An auto battler is a multiplayer, round-based strategy game that centers around drafting, deck-building and resource management. Unlike most games, it doesn’t rely on twitch skills or fast reflexes. Once you set up your team, battles play out automatically -- hence, auto battler. Winning means outlasting all of your opponents, like battle royale.
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It’s quickly risen to become the biggest new game genre of 2019. The craze kicked off in January when a mod for Dota 2 called Dota Auto Chess proved there was a big appetite for these types of games. Since then, large gaming companies like Riot Games and Dota 2 developer Valve have launched their own auto battlers.
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