Gigantic: Rampage Edition revives and expands the shuttered MOBA hero shooter
Six years later
Gigantic, the free-to-play team brawler from a former StarCraft and Guild Wars designer, which launched (fully) in 2017 and closed the following year, is returning as Gigantic: Rampage Edition. It's no longer free-to-play, but a "premium and definitive release" of the original, and it's due on April 9th.
Rampage Edition isn't just a straight re-release, but an expanded version with new features. It'll have two new heroes alongside the original roster of 23, two new maps, and a new game mode, Rush. According to the Steam page, Rush mode is designed to be "more accessible, fast-paced an action-packed" than the regular mode, Clash, which also returns. There'll also be custom matches, and there are plans for a Ranked mode to be added post-release.
Gigantic no longer being free-to-play means it will cost $20 at launch, and those post-launch updates will be free.
A playtest will start on February 22nd which players can sign up for on the Gigantic: Rampage Edition Steam page.
"Team brawler" is such an awkward, unhelpful phrase, but "MOBA" isn't much better. Gigantic was a team-based, 5v5, third-person hero shooter in which each team consists of upgradeable characters and is battling to control objectives around the map and ultimately take down the enemy Guardian. Instead of hacking down a big tree as in Dota, the Guardians are gigantic - geddit - creatures that punch back.
Rampage Edition is being published by Gearbox and developed by Abstraction, best known for providing co-development support to other studios. Original developers Motiga closed down not long after the game. If you're wondering how Gigantic ended up in Gearbox's hands: the original game was published by Perfect World, Perfect World were acquired by Embracer in 2021, and Embracer also own Gearbox.
Motiga was led by James Phinney, a former lead designer on StarCraft and Guild Wars. Pip interviewed Phinney about Gigantic back in 2014.