Shardbound’s New Chapter: ‘Ascent to the Shards’ Playtest Announced

Indie game studio Bazooka Tango has announced a new playtest phase for its anticipated digital battle card game, Shardbound. With this latest development, Bazooka Tango aims to continue its momentum from the success of its previous community playtests.

Developed in collaboration with Immutable Games, a pioneer in Web3 gaming, “Ascent to the Shards” will accommodate 2,000 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. The playtest phase will run from February 21 to March 1 and is open to all players who register on the official website. 

Enhancing Strategic Card Combat

Bazooka Tango has invested a significant $5M USD for Shardbound’s launch, focusing on enhancing the game’s strategic card combat. The studio has taken feedback from previous playtests into account and has refined Shardbound’s gameplay and progression systems. With “Ascent to the Shards,” Bazooka Tango aims to improve the game further based on player feedback.

Bo Daly, the Co-founder of Bazooka Tango, shared insights on the progress and plans for Shardbound in an announcement, stating, “Last year’s playtests allowed us to gather valuable feedback to incorporate into the next iteration of the game, as well as generate massive interest from new and existing players – almost doubling our pre-registration list by adding 50,000 new sign-ups. He followed up by saying, “2023 was about building upon the foundation and fundamentals of the game. 2024 is about delivering an innovative experience and introducing fans to the new Shardbound ecosystem.”

At its launch, Shardbound plans to integrate cutting-edge blockchain technology using Immutable zkEVM, powered by Polygon. 

Expanding the Lore

“Ascent to the Shards” will also introduce a new adversary, Venerator Wynn, who will challenge the game’s main characters, Petra and Sabine, in their journey for power. This playtest phase will expand the game’s lore and provide players with a deeper understanding of the world of Shardbound.

In addition to refining gameplay, “Ascent to the Shards” will introduce new features such as a free battle pass, quests, updated levelling for spells and equipment, fresh cards, art, and starter decks. These additions aim to provide players with a more immersive and enjoyable gaming experience. The studio is also keen on receiving feedback from players throughout the playtest phase.

Attracting Content Creators 

Bazooka Tango has also announced that a new content creator group will join “Ascent to the Shards.” This comes after the success of their previous Shardbound Creator Campaign, which saw positive reviews from notable names in gaming. Finally, with over 85,000 pre-registrations for the game, Shardbound has already garnered significant interest and even earned a nomination for Most Anticipated Game of 2024 at the GAM3 Awards.