Dota 2 Reborn beta announced, with new engine and interface

Valve Software has announced plans to release a playable beta version of Dota 2 Reborn later this coming week.

Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game for OS X, Windows and Linux. It's the standalone sequel to the Defense of the Ancients (DotA) mod for Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Now the game is getting a major facelift, with a new interface, brand new core game engine and other enhancements.

MOBAs like Dota 2 and League of Legends have become a billion dollar market in recent years. Core gamers love the real-time strategy and emphasis on multiplayer team-based action and social. Dota 2 is free to play, though players can certainly spend money exclusive in-game content like tools, character sets and more.

Rumors have suggested that Dota 2 Reborn may be one the first public-facing examples of Valve's Source 2 game engine in use. Valve's been using the original Source engine to power its games since Half-Life 2 was first released more than a decade ago.

Although Valve mentions a new engine in use, the bigger emphasis in Dota 2 Reborn is on a rejiggered user interface framework that makes the game more intuitive and easy to use — important, since Dota 2 has been criticized for having a difficult learning curve for new players, especially players unfamiliar with the MOBA genre. Also brand new in this release are Custom Games,

Dota 2 Reborn also sports easier ways to find, connect to and chat with friends, a redesigned Hero browser, new ways for spectators to watch matches already in progress, and more.

Keep your eyes peeled on Valve's web site for more details about Dota 2 Reborn in the coming days.

Source: Dota 2 blog