The hero shooter genre is a blend of multiple gaming styles, combining team-based tactical shooter mixed with fighting game-esque character designs. The result is an action-packed game with guns blazing with a cast of characters with diverse personalities. Some are more popular than others but every player has their favourites.
The core experience of the hero shooter is direct and iconic. Notable successful titles in this genre include Overwatch, Apex Legends, Marvel: Rivals, and VALORANT. All of these titles are live services competing for the same target audiences but they each have a stable concurrent player count to keep themselves afloat for years.
How has the hero shooter prospered in a way that other gaming genres can’t? Here are the key criteria where hero shooters have the advantage over most other gaming genres:
Priority for gameplay performance over graphical realism
One of the noticeable qualities of hero shooters is their distinctive cartoonish art style. This design choice enhances the game’s appeal without relying on realism. Casual games like mobile puzzles and crypto casino slots follow this philosophy in game design, too. A stylised design keeps their game appealing because hyperrealism is not an option.
While hyper realistic graphics are often seen as more technologically impressive, they compromise smooth animations and visual readability. VALORANT is a great example of prioritising gameplay. The art style is always easy to read in stressful moments. It is also easier to render for hardware, making hero shooters accessible to gamers while delivering an attractive visual experience.
Monetisation model adapts for the developers’ and players’ sake
Hero shooters are usually free-to-play models where profit comes from additional content offered for sale. Most of these games use the battle pass business model which offers rewards for beating small challenges. These usually have free and paid versions that offer different rewards.
Battle passes also keep track of players’ accomplishments for paid content even if they haven’t opted in yet. Gamers can pay for the premium content later and claim the rewards that they’ve already unlocked. It means they can skip the battle pass if it’s about to expire and realise that they can’t unlock all the benefits if they pay for it now.
A diverse and engaging cast of characters
The biggest strength hero shooters have is its ever-expanding roster of unique and compelling characters. Each one has a distinct set of tools to dictate their playstyle and role in a team dynamic. More importantly, it also allows players to be attached to the game through their favourite characters.
The characters’ appearance also adds to their popularity. Overwatch, for example, has a slew of characters that grew in popularity among fan artists and writers. Some swoon over Tracer’s good looks and bubbly personality while others admire Reinhardt’s imposing stature. The game has other characters of all shapes and sizes, appealing to every niche in the gaming community.
Encouragement for community-driven creativity on social media
The developers for hero shooters are active in the fan community on social media. Their primary job is to gather feedback on the latest updates and consider them for future changes. While there, they also encounter fan-made content like illustrations and fiction of their favourite characters. Developers encourage these with high appreciation across all platforms.
The best part about encouraging fan-made content is its contribution to advertising the games they love. Newcomers see individuals being passionate about the game and compel them to check it out. This is how a large community snowballs the growth and success of a video game and hero shooters have the best leverage for this type of public relations.
Consideration for low-end systems wins the bigger market
The nature of hero shooters relies on maintaining a thriving community of players. Thus, it has to be accessible so developers prioritise making it graphically heavy to make it playable on as many systems as possible. This is also the secret of crypto casino websites and puzzle apps. They have a high number of players because they can be played on mobile devices.
Most genres like RPGs and fighting games are more appealing when they’re pushing the limits of modern gaming hardware. However, that makes them exclusive to the latest consoles and high-end PCs. They leave behind a demographic that can’t keep up with the latest technology but hero shooters cater to last-generation gamers.