During Nintendo’s Indie World Showcase livestream on Tuesday, developer Phoenix Labs announced that it’s free-to-play title Dauntless would launch later in the day on the Nintendo Switch eShop. In addition to the Switch port, the game will introduce full crossplay support, as well as a new update called “Stormchaser.”
Appearing towards the end of the live stream, Phoenix Labs officially announced that Dauntless will now support full crossplay and cross-progression support across all versions of the game. The developer also announced that the game would receive its most extensive update to date, called Stormchasers.
Stormchasers, will introduce a new type of sequential hunt, called “Escalation” that will allow players to test their skill in a unique, yet challenging gameplay experience. Escalation will also provide players the opportunity to encounter dual Behemoths, as well as introduce several new elements found in the rogue-like genre. The latest update also introduces a slew of new content, including exclusives skins.
To commemorate the release of the Nintendo Switch version and encourage players to try out the latest port, Phoenix Labs unveiled that it will be giving away Skyfighter armor and Skymetal weapon sets free of charge.
With the introduction of full crossplay functionality, gamers will have the freedom to play with whomever they want across platforms, while also having the luxury of playing various versions of the game without having to create new characters and save files. Since crossplay was first introduced into Dauntless, the game’s player base has seen a significant increase, from 5 million players in May to more than 15 million players in late September.
Initially launched in late May as an early access title, a full version of Dauntless was released on September 26 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC as an Epic Games Store exclusive. Dauntless is heavily influenced (and often compared to) Monster Hunter. However, thanks to Dauntless‘ easy-to-pick-up gameplay features along with its accessibility to play on multiple platforms, its an excellent alternative for those who may not have enjoyed the complexity of Capcom’s notable RPG franchise.
Of course, the announcement of Dauntless was not the only thing revealed during the Indie World showcase. A sequel to Golf Story called Sports Story, which is slated to launch in mid-2020, was also announced, as was a sequel to Axiom Verge.