What the heck is Dota Auto Chess?

Introduced just a couple of months ago, a custom map created for Dota 2 is generating major attention. Dota Auto Chess is the hottest sensation for Dota 2 players, which indulges players in a showdown versus seven other online players. The game has already reached up to 90,000 concurrent players which is almost 20 percent of the entire player base of Dota 2 at a given hour. This is a significant achievement, considering the short time since its introduction. It’s the highest player number any custom game map has ever achieved since the original DOTA.

Dota Auto Chess comes from Drodo Studio in China, and it acts like a blend between the mechanics of the Dota 2 with custom map scenarios. You can’t exactly call it Dota 2, nor is it a game of chess. This is a plus, as players get to enjoy something unique. We’ve seen tower defense-style maps in Dota 2 like Custom Hero Survival and others. The idea behind these might’ve been great, but their actual implementation lacked replayability, which is a necessary component for success with such maps.