BattleForge
A card-based RTS that was revived by fans.
BattleForge is a discontinued online card-based real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by EA Phenomic and published by Electronic Arts in 2009. It combined traditional RTS gameplay with collectible card mechanics, featuring a virtual economy based on micro-transactions and an in-game currency called BattleForge Points. The game's servers were shut down on October 31, 2013, but an unofficial full-revival under the name Skylords Reborn was released on December 18, 2020.
- developer
- EA Phenomic
- publisher
- Electronic Arts
- release_year
- 2009
- shutdown_date
- October 31, 2013
- revival_release_date
- December 18, 2020
- revival_name
- Skylords Reborn
- total_cards_original
- 383
Quick Facts
- Title
- BattleForge
- Developer
- EA Phenomic
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Released
- NA · March 24, 2009 · PAL · March 26, 2009 · UK · March 27, 2009 Revival: December 18, 2020
- Genre
- Real-time strategy
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- Microsoft Windows
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
BattleForge was developed by EA Phenomic and published by Electronic Arts, releasing on Windows in March 2009 along with a demo. On May 26, 2009, it became a Play 4 Free game. The game initially revolved around trading, buying, and winning cards through micro-transactions, though micro-transactions were not required for playing, only for buying new cards. The retail version came with starter decks and 3,000 BattleForge points. Virtual currency was distributed at 2 BattleForge Points per hour of play. There were 383 cards divided among fire, frost, nature, and shadow, with later updates introducing dual-element combinations and legendary cards. Players could buy and sell cards at an in-game auction house using BattleForge Points, or conduct direct trades.
Reader's Guide
BattleForge's significance lies in its hybrid of real-time strategy and collectible card game mechanics, a novel concept at the time. Its legacy is defined by its abrupt shutdown and subsequent revival by a dedicated fan community. The revival, Skylords Reborn, began in June 2015 with reverse engineering of the game code. It fully released on December 18, 2020, as a free-to-play game without micro-transactions, funded by donations. The revival added new content not in the original, including faction boosters, a new promo card (Snapjaws), achievements, and balance patches. As of February 2, 2021, Skylords Reborn had 90,160 registered accounts with a record of about 5,000 concurrent players. The game's economy was overhauled to remove the ability to buy BattleForge points with money, complying with an agreement with EA. The revival demonstrates the potential for community-driven preservation of discontinued online games.
Did You Know?
- BattleForge supported DirectX 11's hardware tessellation feature on compatible systems.
- The Amii Edition took the longest to release, with cards added in small proportions over two years via Sneak Preview Decks.
- Promo Snapjaws and Banzai Lord were original promotional cards from the official game, not added by Skylords Reborn.
- The game's servers were shut down on October 31, 2013, after EA announced the retirement on September 4, 2013.
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