Get the inside scoop on Rise of Kingdoms’ Esports series from Lilith Games
- We got to chat with the RoK team about their latest esports efforts
- They also revealed upcoming additions to the game and more
- The team gave us an overview of how each competition works and what makes them different to regular RoK
With esports being big news nowadays, it’s not surprising to see that Lilith Games’ hit strategy title Rise of Kingdoms is also going all-in on competitive gaming. But if you’re like us you might be confused as to how it all works, what’s changing with their latest esports series, and why you might want to watch it in the first place?
Fortunately, we got the chance to chat with the team at Lilith Games, who gave us the inside scoop on Rise of Kingdoms’ esports development, and what exactly might be coming in the next few months for the game itself…
Currently, the Esports event is mainly based on the Ark of Osiris game mode in RoK, and offers a unique competition that seamlessly merges the real-time strategic elements of RTS with the thrilling competitiveness of MOBA, delivering an unparalleled esports experience. We invite the most skilled and strategic players from every server, and have them compete with their alliances for the ultimate championship.
Now we have the Osiris League and Global Champions Grand Prix, and we plan to continue to optimise and improve the esports series in the future.
Ark of Osiris is a combat game mode in RoK. Two alliances are transported to a separate battlefield, where they fight for control over the Ark of Osiris on behalf of either Seth, the usurper god, or Iset, the mother goddess of life.
After the battle begins, players can earn individual points by killing the enemy team's units. They can also earn both individual and alliance points by capturing buildings, visiting on-map Caravans, or escorting the Ark of Osiris to a building not occupied by the enemy.
At the end of the battle, the side with the most alliance points wins. Participants will earn rewards based on their individual scores and whether their alliance won or lost.
The Osiris League serves as the basis of the Global Champions Grand Prix. The Grand Prix allows the top Osiris League teams a chance to compete on a global stage. The relationship between the Grand Prix and the Osiris League is sort of like the relationship between the UEFA Champions League and the "Big Five" European football leagues.
In the Global Champions Grand Prix, all participants use special, identical competitive accounts to ensure that the matches are as exciting and evenly-matched as possible.
Why do you think the average, casual RoK gamer should get into the esports side of things?The pursuit of honour and glory is a core element of Rise of Kingdoms, and one that will always appeal to our players. The chance to battle the top alliances from all over the world is always an exciting proposition, and who wouldn't want to become a world champion?
More than that, our Esports series requires totally different tactics from our standard KvK game modes. It requires 30 players to follow commands and work in tandem, like a real military unit. This provides a wholly unique experience and a different kind of fun for casual players to watch.
We hope that the RoK Esports series can provide exciting new gameplay and a higher tier of competition, beyond the usual kingdom battles, KvK stories, and alliance combat.
As our Esports system takes shape, we also aim to allow more and more players to understand, experience, and participate in our Esports events.
What do you think is the unique appeal that Rise of Kingdoms has that’s made it so popular?Rise of Kingdoms is a strategy game that encompasses 14 civilizations. Our unique civilization element and core gameplay are the key to attracting and retaining users.
Besides this, we also have amazingly talented players who create unique and engaging content on a daily basis. They invite each other and their friends to play the game together. In our opinion, a friendly user community is one of the main appeals of the game too.
Over the years, we've been communicating with and collecting feedback from players across the world. We believe that there are two key factors in keeping players engaged in the long-term:
First, we need to stay motivated and continuously refine the core gaming experience, in order to make sure our players are having as much fun as possible.
Second, it's crucial to provide players with top-tier experiences and services. This applies not only to in-game content, but also to all aspects related to the game. Player confidence in a dev team is a key factor when deciding if they want to continue playing a game.
For example, last year we introduced the Rise of Kingdoms Global Civilizations Collab Project, a project we intend to continue in the future. Through this project, we'll be exploring future collaborations, both offline and online, with world-renowned museums in a bid to showcase the magnificence of the civilizations we already have in-game, and to add more amazing civilizations in the future.
When it comes to events, we'll be continuing to optimise the overall design and flow of our existing Esports events, and we'll be adding even more exciting events for our players to experience.
In terms of player communication and support, we want to stay keeping our ear to the ground and maintain a close relationship with our players, both online and offline. On top of that, we also have plans to introduce kingdom community services and player-created content incentives, so stay tuned!
Given Lilith recently released the sequel to AFK Arena, AFK Journey, can we expect a big update or a Rise of Kingdoms 2 anytime soon?
We're really proud of our teammates on the AFK Journey team, what they've put together for fans and newcomers is really exciting. While we can't disclose any information about a potential sequel to Rise of Kingdoms, we're always listening to the RoK community, introducing new seasonal updates, tweaking existing systems based on feedback, and adding brand-new content to keep the experience feeling fresh. We really appreciate all the feedback from our players, and hope to continue delighting them for years to come.
Are there any plans you think you can share at this point?KvK has always been one of our core focuses, as evidenced by our constant introduction of new stories and content. We currently have 2 new stories in the pipeline, with one of them going through grey-box testing. You'll get to see them very soon.
And if you fancy yourself a budding RoK esports champ, why not check out some of our tier lists to brush up on your forces and their capabilities. Check out our ranking of Rise of Kingdoms' Civilizations and Commanders, as well as our Rise of Kingdoms gift codes piece to get a headstart on your competitors!
