Free-to-play was always part of the Roller Champions design Image: Ubisoft According to Drapeau, the spectator mode of the game allows this link to become clearer, as player’s gain a bird’s-eye view of the fast-paced, neon action. Surprisingly, pinball was also named as one of the key inspirations, with the game’s movement and attack abilities designed to be as visually appealing and frenetic as classic pinball gameplay. ‘They all know what they’re doing, and were very much instrumental to making the game happen because without them, we wouldn’t have the smooth animations that we have in the game.’ ‘Almost all of the people that did the mo-cap work for the game are roller derby players,’ he explained. Without them, Drapeau believes the game wouldn’t be nearly as exciting. To ramp up the realism and feeling of speed in the game, something that actively contributes to the freedom and flow of gameplay, developer Ubisoft Montreal worked with actual roller derby players for motion capture and smooth animations. But if your loops are broken by wily competitors, you’ll need to start over – amplifying the risk and reward of going for a three-point win. A second loop will earn you three points, and a third loop earns you five and a match win. One loop around the roller rink track will allow you to score a single point, should you aim correctly and get the all-important ball through the basketball hoop placed at the end of the track. Sure, it can be simplified to ‘roll, throw the ball through the hoop, avoid tackles’ – but with multiple ways to win and team battles that can surprisingly vicious, there are plenty of hearty tactics that can be deployed. The gameplay, while simple to learn, contains an element of strategy that requires careful movement and earned mastery. In that regard, Roller Champions hits the nail on the head. It was important to the development team to create something instantly recognisable – a spectacle that could be viewed without context, but with the understanding that gameplay required great skill and finesse to get right. ‘It’s not only about creating the rules, creating what characters can do in the rink and how they can interact as teams and opponents, it’s also about the readability of the action.’ Roller Champions goes well beyond roller derby Image: Ubisoft ‘ Roller Champions is not a simulation sport – it’s a sport that got created from other sources, other influences and got mixed in that melting pot.’ It’s really about thinking of every element,’ Drapeau said. ‘ Roller Champions was really something completely new, completely fresh to work on because it was a challenge to create a sport from the ground up. Rather than being a straight adaptation of roller derby, as first appearances suggest, Roller Champions is actually something new – a hybrid sport designed with the aesthetics and movement of roller derby, the goal shooting of basketball, and the ping-pong bouncing of pinball.Įach element combines in a satisfying playstyle that allows players to experiment with movement around the game’s rink-style track, and work out the best team-based strategies in 3v3 matches to take down opposing team members, while protecting and guiding teammates to goal-shooting victory.Īs Stéphane Drapeau, Product Manager of Roller Champions explained to GamesHub, designing the game by starting with a brand new sport was a rewarding challenge. It was never quite obvious what the game would become – but now that we’ve been able to dive in, the potential of this Ubisoft-developed online multiplayer romp, which combines basketball, pinball and high-speed roller derby, is incredibly clear.įrom its fluid, skating movement to its stressful, tackle-heavy matches, Roller Champions has come roaring out of the gate with a distinct sense of personality and flair. Roller Champions had a long path to launch, dotted by alphas and betas, plenty of player feedback, and a mounting sense of anticipation.
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