Artifact Is Still Salvageable, Says Lead Designer

Valve has focused on their PC storefront and launcher for such a long time, you would have thought that the first game they’ve been directly involved with for many years would have been a slam dunk, or at the very least, gotten a lot of attention. Unfortunately, with the launch of the digital card game based on DOTA 2, Artifact, the opposite proved true. Earlier this year, it seemed the game was in pretty bad shape, and there’s been no signs to point to a resurgence since then. The lead designer on the game hasn’t given up hope just yet, however.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Lead Designer of the game, Richard Garflied (who also created Magic: The Gathering), said that he didn’t think all hope was lost just yet. He didn’t give any details on what he personally thought could be done, but does think there was enough underlying value in the system that it can be salvaged.

“Personally, I’m interested in designing new games or expanding old games,” he said. “I don’t want to be involved in damage control and figuring out how to find an audience for this game.

“I think the underlying game is excellent and original. It gives the player something new. So in that sense, since there’s something there to offer the player, I think it’s possible to save it. Since Valve is a smart company with lots of smart people working there, I think that it’s possible they can do that.”

Valve has said they’re focusing on larger issues with the core game as opposed to doing smaller updates, so it’s possible they are looking at doing some kind of relaunch in the future. It’s not unheard for fledgling games to get a big revitalized reboot of sorts, but Valve has a ways to go by the looks of. Either way, Artifact is still available now for PC.