That Dota 2 card game is being abandoned by Valve

Artifact, the Dota 2 card game, released in November 2018 and it has had a rough time since then.

It sold well initially but quickly found its' player count dropping and forced Valve to alter their pre-established plans.

Now, however, it appears as though the final gameplay update is upon us.

Below, we have everything you need to know about the future for that Dota 2 card game you may or may not remember.

Artifact Goes Free-To-Play

Firstly, Valve has issued a statement on Steam that goes through everything that's changing in this final gameplay update for Artifact and the Artifact Beta, titled Artifact Foundry.

Both Artifact and Artifact Foundry are going to be free-to-play from now on!

READ MORE: Is Dota Underlords Even That Good In Comparison?

Although this isn't exactly ideal timing with there being a struggle to justify development based on player numbers, according to Valve, this could resurrect the title if enough people play it.

" Technically Artifact Foundry remains an unfinished product, but most of what's missing is polish and art - the core gameplay is all there."

In addition to the game itself being free now, all the cards in-game are now free and Card Pack purchasing is being disabled!

This makes Artifact really free to play now. So, it might just be the right time to head over to Steam and try it out.

However, It Is Being Dropped

All that said and done though, the Dota 2 card game is still being dropped by Valve.

" While we're reasonably satisfied we accomplished most of our game-side goals, we haven't managed to get the active player numbers to a level that justifies further development at this time."

It is a shame, but Valve's decision to open up the game for free rather than close it down is a very smart choice.

READ MORE: The Steam Awards 2020 Winners Recap

It doesn't run the risk of alienating any fans they have that still play Artifact or Artifact Foundry and creates the opportunity for an increase in player numbers.

We all like free, right?

So Here Are All The Changes

Above, we've mentioned the major changes. However, Valve posted on Artifact's Steam Page explaining their decision and the changes that were coming in the final update.

It includes a bulleted list that offers an overview and we thought it best to share that with you below.

READ MORE: Is Valve Starting To Lose Hope In Dota 2?

Here's an overview of the changes coming to the standard version of Artifact:

• The game is free for everyone to play.
• All players get every card for free. You will no longer be able to buy card packs.
• Paid players' existing cards have been converted into special Collector's Edition versions, which will remain marketable. Marketplace integration has been removed from the game.
• Paid event tickets have been removed.
• Customers who paid for the game will still earn packs of Collector's Edition cards for playing; players who got the game for free will not.

This is what the final release of Artifact Foundry, the Beta version of Artifact, looks like:

• The game is free for everyone to play.
• Players gain access to cards by playing the game. All cards are earned this way; no cards or packs will be for sale and Artifact Foundry cards are not marketable.
• All final card art that was in the pipeline is now in the game.

Valve then signed off with this statement:

We're grateful to all Artifact players, and particularly to those who were able to help us tune and refine what would become Artifact Foundry. The team feels this is the approach that best serves the community. We're proud of the work we've done on both games and excited about delivering them to a much larger audience of gamers.

Are you going to give Artifact a go now it's free?

Have an opinion on this article? We'd love to hear it!

Join the conversation