Team Liquid, the global esports organization, has unveiled a collaboration with Wildcard, the 2v2 action game with collectible card mechanics developed with spectating in mind.
The organization has been intimately involved in crucial behind-the-scenes playtesting led by Team Liquid content creators and former League of Legends pros Samson “Lourlo” Jackson and Bo Yuan “bobqin” Qin.
Working side by side with developers at Wildcard Alliance, fine-tuning balance and crafting rewarding game mechanics that promise to deliver an exceptional player experience, their competitive expertise brings invaluable insights to Wildcard’s unique gameplay. Lourlo and bobqin are looking forward to showcasing Wildcard’s thrilling action on their streams and attending IRL Wildcard events.
“We’ve been excited about Wildcard from the start. It was a fun game to play in its first iteration, and it’s only gotten better. The team is amazing to work with, and you see their passion come back in the game that they’ve made. We’re very pleased to be partnered with them as they release Wildcard to the public,” said Bo Kryne, vice president of product at Team Liquid, in a statement.
The involvement of Team Liquid will boost Wildcard’s esports aspirations, with feedback from an organization that has won several championships in MOBA titles such as Dota 2, League of Legends, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang. The game’s developers have taken advantage of bi-weekly sessions with Luorlo and bobqin to improve its playability and skill-expression, two important factors for the game’s non-stop action gameplay.
“Only the players and community can designate a new game worthy of the ‘esports’ label. The excitement and support we immediately received from Lourlo, bobqin and the broader Team Liquid ecosystem has reinforced our core vision, to create a competitive, genre defining game that is as much fun to watch as it is to play,” said Katy Drake Bettner, co-CEO of Wildcard Alliance, in a statement.
Paul Bettner, co-CEO of Wildcard Alliance, said in a message to GamesBeat that the company is “finally, joyfully,” getting near launch after seven years of work and more than $50 million invested.
The company recently debuted the much-requested 2v2 mode of the game, and then submitted and been approved by Valve to list the game on Steam. On the Web3 side, the company published the Wildcard whitepaper (we call it the Wildpaper) and began the $WC token airdrop campaign as well: https://wildpaper.wildcardgame.com/.
“Now we begin our Web2 go to market campaign in earnest, having launched the Steam page and beginning to accumulate wishlists, etc.,” Paul Bettner said. “This Team Liquid announcement has been a long time coming. We signed with them last year and have been waiting for just the right moment to announce this collaboration — once our team felt ready to begin onboarding more alpha playtesters.”
Today begins a new phase of opening the game several hundred new playtesters and then more each week as the team continues play-balancing, bug-fixing, tuning and polishing the game for early access release later this summer.
Wildcard is a player-versus-player (PVP), collectible card-based, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game for all ages. Champions from across the galaxy assemble decks of collectible cards, summoning unique companion creatures and harnessing their strengths in dramatic clashes at arenas throughout the universe. Players must outplay, out-strategize, and outwit their opponents, get past their goalie, and destroy their goal to claim Wildcard glory.
Team Liquid will share more on the collaboration on their social media, starting with an announcement video featuring Lourlo and bobqin.
Lourlo and Bobqin will stream Wildcard on their respective Twitch channels.
Team Liquid is an esports and gaming organization founded in 2000 in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and led by its founder and Co-CEO Victor Goossens, and Co-CEO Steve Arhancet. The organization has 96 athletes competing across multiple esports titles, including League of Legends, CounterStrike2, Dota 2, VALORANT, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Rainbow Six Siege, Fortnite, PUBG: Mobile, and more.
With over $54 million in prize money won from over 7,000 tournaments throughout its history, Team Liquid is the most successful esports team in the Western market in terms of competitive achievement, esports viewership, and fan engagement. Team Liquid recently expanded into South East Asia through the acquisition of AURA Esports in Indonesia, and ECHO Esports in the Philippines.
In September 2016, controlling interest in Team Liquid was purchased by esports ownership group, aXiomatic. aXiomatic leadership includes Co-Executive Chairmen Peter Guber, Ted Leonsis, Jeff Vinik, and Bruce Karsh who together represent an unparalleled team of sports, technology, entertainment, and investment industry titans. Other notable investors include NBA legends Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson, Steve Case, and David M. Rubenstein.
Wildcard combines the best elements of MOBAs and trading card games into a fresh, competitive experience. Players take control of powerful Champions, build decks filled with dynamic summons, and battle in intense arena combat against an opposing team. Wildcard Alliance, based in Texas, was founded by Katy and Paul Bettner, one of the developers behind Words With Friends.
