The third-person Hero Shooter, Rogue Company, is making the jump to mobile with the release of Rogue Company: Elite. The spinoff comes courtesy of UK-based developer Hi-Rez studios who also developed the original console and PC release, as well as the mythology-themed MOBA Smite. The mobile version of their hero shooter comes two years after the original game, which saw good reviews and continued stable player-counts when released. This mobile version is set to be released in 2023, with pre-registrations now open.
Rogue Company: Elite looks set to follow the formula of its mainline original, including a wide roster of ‘Rogues’ with differing abilities that align with the hero shooter format. However, Hi-Rez also boasts numerous graphical fidelity options in their release, including a 120fps mode. Frame-rate is not only an aesthetic benefit, but also benefits players as it allows them to react faster than players on a lower FPS. Hi-Rez are therefore possibly hinting at hopes for Rogue Company: Elite to see high-level competitive play.
Another step towards mobile
Hi-Rez bringing Rogue Company to mobile is a big step towards further activity in the handheld market and suggests that the continued success and stability of Rogue Company has been enough to greenlight a mobile release. Certainly, numerous mobile ports of other popular genres, from FPS (Call of Duty, Warzone) and Battle Royale (Fortnite, PUBG) have seen huge success and hero shooters are no different.
We could also look back at one of Rogue Company’s chief competitors and arguably the game that popularized the hero shooter genre, Overwatch, which has yet to make the jump to mobile. Hi-Rez are therefore seeking first-mover advantage, exploiting a niche on mobile that has yet to see any major title hero shooters hit the platform thus far.
While Rogue Company was originally overshadowed somewhat by competitors at launch, it’s endured. Since Activision-Blizzard are stuck with their acquisition by Microsoft facing further regulatory scrutiny, Hi-Rez are well-placed to capitalize on a new platform to push their Rogue Company IP to a fresh audience. Hi-Rez have also been working closely with their subsidiary studio Red Beard games recently, on titles such as Divine Knockout.
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