Valve announces development of standalone Dota Auto Chess game

Steven Rondina Published 21/05/2019

Valve wants to make its own version of Dota Auto Chess, and it’s willing to do so with or without the game’s original developers.

The publisher announced on the official Dota 2 blog that a standalone version of the popular game mod is now in development. Interestingly, Valve announced it is doing so with the blessing of original designer Drodostudio, but not with its help.

“In February we flew the Drodo team over from China to chat about the future of Dota Auto Chess, and to see if they’d want to collaborate directly with us,” Valve said. “We had great conversations, but we both came to the conclusion that Valve and Drodo could not work directly with each other for a variety of reasons. We ended up agreeing that we’ll each build our own stand-alone version of the game, and support each other to the fullest.”

Dota Auto Chess was rolled out in January as a user made game mode in Dota 2. The mod transforms the MOBA into a turn-based survival board game, offering a surprising amount of depth and creativity. Auto Chess instantly caught fire and attracted millions of new players, breathing new life into the Dota 2 community and converting a number of pro players from other games.

The initial expectation was for Valve to partner with Drodostudio to create a standalone PC version of the game. Instead, Drodo announced a partnership with a Chinese app developer which resulted in Auto Chess being ported to mobile devices with redesigned characters and all references to Dota 2 scrubbed out.

Still, Valve isn’t going to let Drodo’s departure stand in the way of capitalizing on the booming success of Auto Chess. According to the blog post, Valve is working in its own standalone version of the game with the two parties diverging.

Outside its existence, no plans were announced in regards to the standalone version of Auto Chess. No speculative release date or price point were announced, with Valve’s statement ending on a vague note of, “We’ll share more information about this soon.”

In the short term, Drodostudio stated it will continue updating the existing Auto Chess game mode for the time being while also pushing forward with the rollout of its mobile adaptation.

Steven Rondina

About Steven Rondina

Steven Rondina is a true lifelong gamer. His earliest memories are of playing video games, and he has continued playing them throughout his life with no plans to stop any time soon. Steven’s favorite franchises in gaming include Pokemon, Dark Souls, and Counter-Strike. He has previously published with Bleacher Report and other gaming outlets.

View full profile

Read Also

Esports Betting

HEROIC exits EWC Club Partner Program after Dota 2 departure, leaves CS2 as sole title Wasif Ahmed HEROIC has left the Esports Foundation’s Club Partner Program for the Esports World Cup 2026 after the organization announced earlier this month that it was exiting Dota 2 due to the game being ‘unsustainable in the long term’. This left CS2 as its sole operational title. Both HEROIC and the Esports Foundation (EF) announced the exit in separate statements. The EF said that the recent internal changes meant the organization ...

Esports Betting

Heroic Exits Dota 2, and It’s Bad News for the Scene Owen Harsono Norwegian esports organization Heroic has officially called it quits in Dota 2, dropping its roster after two years in the scene. Despite finding relative success, the organization cited financial constraints as the primarily reason for their departure. If a budget-savvy team like Heroic couldn’t make it work, the Dota 2 scene is in big trouble. On May 4, Heroic suddenly announced they’d be pulling the plug on their Dota 2 ...

League of Legends

Playing League of Legends can improve brain function, study finds Khizar Mundia If you have ever found yourself having to defend the countless you spend gaming online then you may now have a ready-made excuse — researchers have just revealed that video games can improve brain function. A team from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China conducted a study comparing League of Legends with Legends of the Three Kingdoms. The study found both improved brain function, with League of ...

Dota 2

Is Dota 2 dying in 2026? Here’s what the numbers really say Ben Boland The question “Is Dota 2 dead?” has been asked by many people over the last couple of years. Since the game’s player base fluctuates and other MOBAs rise in popularity, it’s understandable that some people feel like Dota 2 is dying and its best days are behind it. However, is this really the case? Let’s find out. Once you start looking for some of the best Dota 2 teams or ...

Dota 2

Every Dota 2 International Champion in History: The Complete Winners List Ben Boland If you know a thing or two about esports, “The International” should ring a bell. TI is Dota 2’s yearly tournament and is one of the most prestigious tournament series in all of esports. It’s best known for its million-dollar prize pools, and every edition tells a different story. Below, we list all the winners of Dota 2’s The International. Every year, Valve hosts an iteration of The International, with ...

Kick

ESL FACEIT Group announces Kick partnership, here’s what we know Khizar Mundia ESL FACEIT Group and Kick have signed a partnership that will allow the platform to distribute and broadcast select official CS2 and Dota 2 tournaments. Esports broadcasting rights are an important element for major streaming platforms, as popular tournaments draw millions of viewers. The esports broadcasting network is substantially fragmented as no one platform holds exclusive rights for major tournaments. Kick has been trying to get into the esports scene ...

Dota 2

Best Dota 2 Players in 2026 Owen Harsono In 2026, pro Dota 2 players are on another level, with a bunch of them even passing 17,000 MMR. However, not all of them can prove themselves on the big stage. Below we have ranked the top 10 best Dota 2 players in 2026 who have championship qualities. We have ranked the top 10 Dota 2 players in the world right now. We primarily considered individual skill and overall contribution ...