Duelyst developer partners with Bandai Namco

Counterplay Games, the studio behind the free-to-play collectible card game Duelyst, has announced a new publishing deal with Bandai Namco, a change it said will allow the team to ignore the headaches of publishing and "focus solely on development" instead.

"Our developers can now focus their time and effort into creating more fun and engaging features for anyone, casual or hardcore players alike," Counterplay said. "Bandai Namco will take on publishing responsibilities including marketing and customer service. This means we’ll be able to introduce more and more people to the game we all love!" 

The studio also noted that, while it is now "working together" with Bandai Namco on the game, Counterplay will maintain responsibility for its design, and there will be "no drastic changes" as a result. There will be one change for players, however, as existing Duelyst accounts will have to be merged with BNEA—that's Bandai Namco Entertainment America—accounts. 

"Merging over accounts allows Bandai Namco to start managing the Duelyst servers to provide improved stability. Another added bonus is player access to their global support network: you’ll be able to receive professional and quality service in your time of need," the studio explained. 

We gave Duelyst a very impressive 84/100 score when we reviewed it last year, calling it "a gorgeous tactics card game [with] significant depth," and more recently we put at the top of our list of the best CCGs that aren't Hearthstone. And in case that's not enough to convince you to give it a shot, Counterplay is also offering a login bonus of three Core Set Orbs (card packs) and a Bandai Namco-themed skin for a unit between July 11 and August 1.   
 

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Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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