SMITE – Year 10 Keynote & 2023 Announcements
Hey everyone I’m Alex…
…and I’m Alex too!
And we’re from Red Beard Games, the team behind Divine Knockout, the new third-person platform fighter or DKO for short.
After three years of development, we launched December 6th on Playstation, Xbox, and PC.
The reception has been amazing.
You could say that it knocked us out, but the wordplay was too obvious.
To all the players around the world who joined us for launch: thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.
DKO is our spin on the gods of SMITE, an all-out brawl with chibified versions of your favorite gods.
We may have just released Zeus, but what would
SWC be without the new god reveal.
Here is the first look at the newest character
in DKO.
Roll the footage!
It’s a bird!
It’s my main!
It’s Sun Wukong, The Monkey King, coming to
DKO very soon.
Sun Wukong is bringing a completely new play
style to DKO.
On top of his agile moves, he’s able to shape
shift or create the clone of himself.
Check out Sun Wukong and the 11 other gods
of DKO.
If you haven’t tried it yet, now’s a good
time to jump in.
Pick up the Founders or the Ultimate Edition
right now on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
And for all the SMITE fans watching, there
is the Stormy Chibi Susano skin on both editions.
Thanks to everybody who’s joined us so far.
Our journey with DKO is just beginning.
For 2023, we have a ton of new things coming:
new gods, new maps, new features…
the team is working on them right now.
So please follow us @dkogame on all social
media for the latest updates.
And now the moment you’ve been waiting for:
the SMITE Year 10 keynote presentation.
Let’s throw it over to our friends at Titan
Forge to see what amazing updates they have
planned this year.
[Music]
[Music]
To the thousands of SMITE fans here with us
in Arlington, Texas and the everyone watching
from all around the world: welcome to the
Smite Year 10 keynote presentation at the
Smite World Championship.
That’s right, 10 years of SMITE.
Well, a little bit more if you include beta.
Today, we’re celebrating a decade of deities,
deicides, and the developers that have brought
SMITE to life.
Plus, let’s be real… we just get to talk
about all the cool [ __ ] coming this year.
Throughout today’s keynote presentation, you’ll
get the chance to meet developers from all
across the SMITE team and all across the world.
Some people joined the team this year…
Some during SMITE’s beta…
but each person you see has helped build SMITE
into the game it is today.
Season 9 was one of SMITE’s biggest yet.
Throughout 2022, we introduced five new gods
like Maui, the hero of Hawaii…
Ishtar, Goddess of Love and War…
Yu Huang…
Lancelot…
and, of course, Shiva, our first Hindu Pantheon
release in nearly five years.
We released seasonal updates for the Conquest
map and not to mention our new game mode Slash.
This year saw the return of Adventures with
our weekly SMITE Night mode, along with Odin’s
Onslaught, which just released in December.
And we’ve got to talk about our crossovers.
The Battleground got a little more animated
this year with Rocko, Danny Phantom, Momo,
and more from our friends at Nickelodeon.
We also left tutorial Island and began our
RuneScape journey,
discovered One True God with our NIGHTMODE
crossover,
and skins for the absolute legends Slipknot.
I mean how the [ __ ] did we even get Slipknot
in there?
Cookie baskets go a long way.
But that’s enough about last year, let’s get
right to do the new stuff we have planned
for SMITE Year 10.
Let’s check in with Clumzy and Lermy from
the Design team to talk about the first god
coming to SMITE in 2023.
Hey everyone, my name’s Lermy.
My name’s Clumzy, and we’re both thrilled
and honored to be here celebrating 10 years
of SMITE with you all.
Lermy and I have been a part of this community
for a long time now, even before working with
the Titan Forge team and now we’re here to
reveal the first God of Year 10.
Both Clumzy and I, and the entire Titan Forge
team, wouldn’t be celebrating 10 years of
SMITE if it wasn’t for all of you watching
today.
Thank you to each and every player that’s
been a part of SMITE’s journey for the last
decade.
It’s an absolute honor to work in a game that
you and we love so much.
But now we’re here ready to kick off Year
10 of SMITE and introduce the first God of
2023.
For the first god of Year 10, we knew we needed
a character that would not only commemorate
such a big milestone, but also represent SMITE’s
journey through the past decade.
Not to mention a character that’s been a constant
in SMITE since closed beta.
So without any more unnecessary build up,
allow us to introduce the first God for Smite
Year 10.
Well… reintroduce.
Let’s take a look.
Have you prepared for judgment, monster?
Unworthy.
My life is death.
Each day.
Each millennium.
Eons pass and yet…
I cannot.
When will it end?
How much more am I doomed to suffer?
No more.
No more.
Are you prepared for judgment, monster?
I just want this to end.
You are still unworthy.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
My life is death.
But this is not where I fall.
This is where monsters rise.
[Music]
Introducing the first god of SMITE Year 10:
Surtr, the Fire Giant.
We wanted a character that’s deeply ingrained
in the past decade of SMITE and with Surtr,
we saw the opportunity to introduce and recontextualize
his role in the world of the gods.
The Fire Giant has been a part of SMITE since
open beta, and now he’s taking his revenge
on the gods that have spent more than a decade
hunting him down.
Surtr is a natural force of destruction: chaotic,
yet poised and calculating.
When designing Surtr, we wanted to incorporate
elements from the past decade of his encounters
on Conquest, including his fiery sword, AOE
attacks, and his meteoric arrival onto the
map.
Plus, a spawnable fire imp that you can hurl
at your enemies.
Bringing Surtr to the Battleground and reimagining
a SMITE staple for a new decade has been a
tall order, but the entire Titan Forge team
has banded together to bring Surtr to life.
We’ll have more Surtr during our live Fire
Giant update show on January 18th.
But that’s just the beginning of what’s coming
in our first update to Year 10.
Now, let’s check in with Ryan and Aaron for
a bit more of what’s in store.
Hey everybody, I’m Ryan.
And I’m Aaron.
And welcome to the moment that you all, and
we, have been waiting for it’s finally time
to introduce Year 10 Conquest.
Let’s take a look.
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music]
[Music] Year 10 Conquest is here and it’s
an entirely new map.
Our goal is for Year 10 Conquest to be a celebration
of all things SMITE, drawing heavy inspiration
from the closed beta and season 2 Conquest
maps, and the second god of Year 10.
Year 10 Conquest is heavily themed around
the monsters that overtake the battlefield
following Surtr’s emergence, featuring new
themes inspired by Greco-Roman architecture.
This includes all new art throughout the map
including revamped basses with detailed architecture
and a fully enclosed environment.
New side lanes featuring beachside and molten
themed art.
Plus, a fully reworked jungle with winding
paths and more engaging camps.
And now with Surtr’s ascension to the gods,
an all-new Fire Giant is taking his place,
with newly designed area layout, and new abilities
for the Fire Giant.
And that’s not all we have planned.
Jungle camps are now unleashed.
Players will now be able to lure jungle camp’s
locations of their choosing, allowing for
brand new strategic options.
We are also introducing bastions, a brand
new way to get an advantage in lanes by weakening
the enemy tower, without having to dive.
We’ve also added new contestable camps in
the solo and duo lanes,
a new reward for slaying the pyromancer,
and new roaming jungle camps, including a
cyclops assassin.
The team went all out on Year 10 Conquest,
and you won’t have to wait very long to see
it for yourself.
Year 10 Conquest drops on January 24th in
the Fire Giant update.
We’ll also have a full deep dive on Year 10
Conquest, along with Surtr on our Fire Giant
update show on January 18th.
This is just the start for Conquest in Year
10.
We’re planning substantial updates to the
map throughout the year in the Fire Giant
update is just our first update that will
be included in year 10’s first season.
That’s right: first season.
And now let’s throw it over to Jenn and Isiah
to talk more about the season changes coming
to SMITE in Year 10.
Hey everyone, Isiah here.
And I’m Jenn.
You might have noticed we’re calling the next
year of SMITEYear 10.
In the past, we’ve named entire years of SMITE
a single season.
Just like last year with Season 9.
But for SMITE Year 10, we’re mixing things
up.
One of the goals for all of us at Titan Forge
has been to bring massive, exciting updates
to SMITE throughout the year.
Because, well, we heard you: Season 9 could
be a little bit boring at times.
With Year 10 we’ll be introducing four unique
Seasons that will bring big, sweeping changes
throughout the year, all starting with our
first season on January 24th: Season of Monsters
The Season of Monsters will include two new
gods, including Surtr, and Year 10 Conquest.
This will also include a new battle pass inspired
by the Season of Monsters, but we’ll have
more on that later in the show.
Our first season of the year will consist
of two updates,
beginning on January 24th with the Fire Giant
update.
We’ll follow the first season with three additional
seasons throughout Year 10.
Each new season kicks off with a major Conquest
update, with art changes across the map,
large geography updates,
and reworked objectives.
Each season will also include at least one
god,
a new battle pass,
new gameplay features themed to the season,
and huge balance changes throughout SMITE.
Even the smallest update during a season will
be on par with our 2022 updates.
Our goal is to always have something new and
exciting every month of the year.
Guaranteed you’re getting a lot of good [ __ ]
this year.
This is just a small glimpse for what we have
planned for Year 10.
Wait, is that it?
We have a lot of new gods this year.
If only we had some sort of sneak preview,
a sneak peek if you will, of all the gods
coming up this year…
preferably hosted by Lore Lady.
We have that right?
Fellow traveler…
stay for a spell.
For there are tales to be told.
Stories of time.
Stories of seasons.
These are the stories that bind us all.
Forged in the fire of an eternal conflict,
Surtr will erupt to raze the lands of gods
and men.
Through the flames, rebirth gives way to change…
and the rise of monsters.
The sunlight pierces the ashen horizon,
nurturing the barren lands and welcoming new
life.
And for the souls that were lost, they will
be carried…
and find their way to what awaits us all.
And what awaits us all?
A celebration of our deeds in this journey
we all share.
Our stories connected by the ebb and flow
of time, like the seasons.
We are renewed.
When we meet again… what tales will await
us all?
You just had a glimpse at some of the gods
that we have planned for the rest of the year
including Surtr, [ __ ], [ __ ], [ __ ],
and [ __ ].
Man, what a crazy [ __ ] lineup!
Hey everyone, I’m Harrison.
And Lermy again, here are some gameplay updates
we have planned for Year 10.
The design team has been hard at work on Year
10 and we just couldn’t wait until the update
show on January 18th to share some of the
big changes that we have planned.
First up: shards.
Shards are early games, active abilities that
provide short-term self buffs in the relic
slot, allowing for more skill expression and
power plays in the early game.
We’re also introducing a new addition to each
of the five god classes.
Now in Year 10, each god class will be getting
a unique bonus stat to help differentiate
classes from each other
and to open up new build possibilities.
We’re making significant changes to many items
this season with over 45 major item changes.
We’ll dig into this more on the Fire Giant
update show on January 18th.
We’re also beginning work on matchmaking updates,
with non-ranked cues returning to our standard
queues, and allowing for the return of multi-queue.
This is the first step of our initiative to
improve matchmaking,
as well as allow for the SMITE team to make
bigger changes to matchmaking in the future.
And finally we’ve heard the community and
we’re happy to announce that ranked will be
going to full cross-play this year, along
with a hard reset.
Now if you’re the best, you’re the best…
regardless of input method.
With these new changes, we’re introducing
new mechanics for players to master and new
avenues for them to flex their skills.
But that’s not all we have planned.
Now let’s kick it back to the team for even
more updates on what we’ve got to kick off
Year 10.
What’s up everyone I’m Chris.
And I’m Shayne and we’re here to introduce
you to the first battle pass of SMITE Year
10.
With the Fire Giant update releasing as part
of the seasonal monsters in January 24th we
wanted to create a battle pass that gave you
the feeling of being a boss monster in your
favorite RPG.
Introducing the Boss Monster Battle Pass,
with new skins for Kukulkan, Cernunnos, and
Arachne, we took inspiration from one of our
favorite skin series in the Final Boss Battle
Pass, and wanted to lean even harder into
that aesthetic of being a badass final encounter.
The team went all out on the designs for our
first battle pass of Year 10.
We’ll have even more details on the Fire Giant
update show on January 18th.
Hey everyone, Dave here.
And Tina!
And we have a few more updates we want to
announce that will be going live with a Seasons
of Monsters update.
Tina, what…
what’s that?
It’s supposed to be Swedish for: it’s time
for your new ranked rewards!
We’re bringing the Viking Invasion with Berserker
Rama.
All you gotta do is win 75 ranked games.
I mean, that’s got to be easy, right?
RIGHT?
We’re also excited to announce that the Season
Pass is returning with a new name: the Year
10 Pass.
With the Year 10 Pass, you’ll get Ascended
skins, Tier 1 skins, emotes, and voice packs
for every god released in 2023.
Plus Calamity Cat Sol, the Calamity Cat loading
screen, the Miraculous title, and also 1000
gems.
And guess what?
Wha?
The Year 10 Pass is available right now.
Buy the Year 10 Pass today and get immediate
access to Calamity Cat Sol and all the other
incredible content.
No, I need help.
I need help.
Do you remember your first pentakil?l
Or your most played god?
Well, we do.
We know all.
To celebrate SMITE Year 10, we’re creating
customized videos for every single SMITE player.
All you need is your Hi-Rez login.
Your personalized video celebrates highlights
through your SMITE history,
easily shareable across your favorite social
media platforms.
Wow, even Myspace?
Your personalized SMITE video will be ready
to launch alongside SMITE Year 10 on January
24th,
but starting today, you can pre-register with
your Hi-Rez account to have it sent straight
to you
when Year 10 launches with the Fire Giant
update.
Head over to the URL on the screen to pre-register
today for your SMITE-ify Wrapped.
Oh, that’s good.
Hey SMITE fans, AJ here.
First off, thanks to all of our devs at Titan
Forge for showing off all the updates we’ll
be introducing in Year 10.
And thanks to everyone at home for tuning
in to the SMITE 2023 keynote presentation…
Ryan, why are you wearing a black turtleneck?
Thanks AJ, I’ll take it from here.
Over the years, SMITE has had some insane
crossovers.
RuneScape.
Avatar.
That one crab from Crab Rave.
But nothing will prepare you for what’s in
store.
He is really nailing it.
We as artists paint with all colors,
but today we paint with white, blue, black,
red, and green.
Eh, not as good.
Now let’s take a look at the newest and biggest
crossover in SMITE’s history.
Across the Multiverse…
we are known.
Some call us saviors
others a scourge.
Across all worlds we share a single name:
PLANESWALKERS.
Here is the sentence I thought I might never
get to say:
We’re so proud to bring the World of Magic:
The Gathering to SMITE.
It has been a dream come true working with
our friends at Wizards of the Coast to bring
the World of Magic: The Gathering into the
Battleground of the Gods.
Across two consecutive updates we’ll be introducing
10 skins featuring some of our favorite Magic:
The Gathering characters in our Fire Giant
update on January 24th.
We’ll introduce Chandra Nalaar Pele, Jace
Beleren Yu Huang, Atraxa Thanatos, Liliana
Vess Nu Wa, and Karn Atlas.
This update will also feature new jump stamps,
recall skins, announcer packs, and more from
the world of Magic:The Gathering.
We’ll also be introducing five additional
skins in our second update in Season of Monsters,
but we’ll have more on those characters a
little closer to release.
We’ll have a deep dive on the first set of
Magic: The Gathering skins on our Fire Giant
update show on January 18th.
And now that was actually our final announcement
of the day.
Look, I know I said it was a dream come true
earlier but we are actually losing our minds.
AJ and I are obsessed with Magic: The Gathering,
so we are so thrilled to kick off SMITE Year
10 with our most ambitious crossover.
And that wraps up our announcements for the
SMITE 2023 keynote presentation.
Today, we’ve shown you just a taste of the
new gods, maps, and updates we’re bringing
to SMITE Year 10.
And when we say this is going to be SMITE’s
biggest year ever… we mean it.
We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the members
of Titan Forge and the fans around the world
that have supported Smite for over a decade
Everyone we featured on today’s keynote and
everyone watching SWC 2022 has been a part
of our journey.
SMITE has brought together friends, fans,
and families from all around the world.
AJ and I joined the SMITE team as long time
fans
and being able to come together with people
we genuinely care about to work together on
a game we genuinely care about…
it’s incredible, and it wouldn’t be possible
without everyone that’s watching today.
Thank you so much for tuning in to the SMITE
Year 10 keynote presentation and be sure to
join us for the Fire Giant update show later
this week on January 18th.
To everyone tuning in to this keynote and
to the Smite World Championship: thanks for
watching!