Infinite Crisis will have destructible environments, catastrophic events

Turbine Games' DC Comics-themed multiplayer online battle area (MOBA), Infinite Crisis, will feature destructible environments as well as catastrophic events that will hit the map in the middle of matches, according to executive producer Jeffrey Steefel.

Speaking to Polygon, Steefel said one of the things that sets Infinite Crisis apart from other MOBAs — aside from its cast of DC characters — is that players can alter the map. "It's a dynamic experience," Steefel said, "You're not just playing on a chessboard."

Steefel said MOBAs are very strategic games and maps need to be fairly regimented so that they don't change in a way that benefits one side or the other. "So you can't just change the chessboard completely," he said, "but because of that, I think a lot of MOBAs put you in an environment that doesn't change at all. If I'm playing a superhero or super villain, I feel like I'm going to have an impact on the environment."

Environments are destructible, bridges will collapse...

In Infinite Crisis, players will be able to have an impact on the map throughout the course of play. Environments are destructible, bridges will collapse and, when players do something in the game world, it will be felt.

Throughout the game, the map will also be hit with catastrophic events, which Steefel describes as "huge events" that happen in the middle of the game — a hurricane-like storm or a dramatic, temporary structural change to the map —which act as opportunities for players to turn things around.

Players will be able to see where on the map the catastrophic event will land, and they can avoid it or they can capitalize on it. Steefel said that as a MOBA, players will still need strategy and practice and, to win, there will be lots of skill required. "But there's always a chance that something will happen to let me one-up the other guy or play a little differently than I did last time," he said, "and that's exciting."

Infinite Crisis is currently in closed beta. It is free-to-play and will release later this year.