Dota Auto Chess is a wildly popular Dota 2 mod that we summarised as "the joyful deck-based Dota 2 game that Artifact isn't". It's so good that Valve is making a version for Steam, but previously announced that it would not be partnering with the mod's creators Drodo Studios for its version.
"We had great conversations, but we both came to the conclusion that Valve and Drodo could not work directly with each other for a variety of reasons. We ended up agreeing that we’ll each build our own stand-alone version of the game, and support each other to the fullest," said Valve.
That statement makes more sense today. In a segment by PC Gaming Show sponsor Epic Games, Drodo announced that it will be making a version of Auto Chess for the Epic Games Store. It will simply be called Auto Chess (dropping the Dota), and will roll out in addition to a mobile version that's also being developed by Drodo.
That means we'll have a Valve-made Steam-based version of Dota Auto Chess (which may or may not be called Dota Underworlds), and an Epic Store version created by Drodo. The store wars rage on.
Below: Auto Chess' reveal at the PC Gaming Show, and below that our backstage interview.
