The game Auto Chess originally appeared as a mod for Dota 2. Now the developers of the popular autobattler have announced a mobile MOBA with characters from their project.

At the end of spring, there was a hype around a new genre — the autobattler. The new mechanics originated initially as a mod for Dota 2. Thanks to it, the audience of the Valve game increased by a quarter. But how interesting this genre is in isolation from the “mother game”, it becomes clear only now.

This spring, Dota Auto Chess has become a major phenomenon in the market of free-to-play PvP games. The game, which started as a mod, managed to get not only a native version, but also two clones — from Valve and Riot Games. Together with the game producers, we analyze the reason for the popularity of the game.

Twitch users spent 15.2 million hours watching Teamfight Tactics gameplay in the first week since the game’s release. Thanks to this, the novelty of Riot Games can be called not only the most popular autobattler, but also one of the most popular games of recent times.

Another gaming giant is preparing to enter the Auto Chess clone market. Tencent has announced a mobile Chess Rush. Its peculiarity is the presence of fast 10—minute matches.

During the release week, Valve’s Dota Underlords generated 1.5 million downloads on mobile devices. The game managed to reach this level twice as fast as its direct competitor Auto Chess.

Valve, as promised, has released its own “Auto Chess” — an autobattler based on a mod for Dota 2. The project is called Dota Underlords.

The Chinese publisher Dragonest Game has announced the appearance of the original Auto Chess as an independent game on the desktop.

The success of Drodo Studio attracted the attention of Riot Games. An American developer has announced the launch of a new game in the spirit of Dota Auto Chess. So far, only in the format of a new mode for League of Legends.