Hi-Rez has announced that Paladins is officially launching for PC, PS4 and Xbox One. After spending two years in beta, Hi-Rez is finally ready to launch Paladins in full.
With 25 million players taking part in Paladins since 2016, it’s one of the most played games on Steam and consistently one of the most played free-to-play games on PS4 and Xbox One.
In addition to being one of the most played games across all three platforms, Hi-Rez has grown Paladins into one of the top tier esports in the world. With the Paladins official launch date announced, Hi-Rez has also announced a series of giveaways and an esports tournament.
Paladins official launch
The Paladins official launch date is May 8, 2018. The official launch will be live on Steam, PS4 and Xbox One and Paladins will remain free-to-play on all three platforms.
As part of the official launch celebrations, Hi-Rez is giving away $100 million in in-game currency and gifting 200 crystals to anyone who played the beta and logs into Paladins between May 8 and May 31. Anyone who plays Paladins before May 8 will still be eligible for the free crystals.
From May 2 through May 7, each and every hero in Paladins will be unlocked for all players. Anyone who chooses to play before May 8 will not only get 200 free crystals, but they’ll also get to try out all of the heroes in the game.
Finally, the Esports Arena Las Vegas will host a special Paladins esports tournament.
Esports Arena Las Vegas becomes the Realm as Esport Superstars: Paladins takes the stage with a $100,000 prize pool. The tournament will bring together six teams from across the globe who will battle it out in a double elimination showdown.
Of the six teams competing, four have been announced; Natus Vincere, SK Gaming, G2 Esports and FNATIC.
Heroes of the Realm
Hi-Rez is also using its mobile game Paladins Strike, to help celebrate the Paladins official launch. Paladins Strike is a top-down shooter based on Paladins and set within the same universe.
Paladins Strike has over 2 million preregistered players and is available now on iOS and Android.
By playing Paladins Stike, players can unlock two free skins in Paladins. According to Hi-Rez the description of Paladins Strike is as follows.
Paladins Strike combines aiming mastery with a more accessible camera view. Every action taken by a Champion is manually aimed by the player, which allows for both hero moments and hilarious fails.
This sets Paladins Strike apart from the typical mobile MOBA, where auto-attacks lock on for the player, and from the typical mobile shooter, which lacks abilities. The controls are simple to grasp for newcomers and veterans, which makes for an easy pick-up-and-play experience.
Paladins officially launches for PC, PS4 and Xbox on May 8, 2018, and remains free-to-play.
