POE 2 Director Confident in Game's Success Despite ARPG Competition

When Path of Exile (PoE) first hit the ARPG scene, it was a breath of fresh air. Diablo 2 had long been the genre's gold standard, and Diablo 3 was still recovering from its tumultuous launch. Over a decade later, the landscape has significantly shifted. Diablo 4 has made a strong debut, and ARPG competitors like Lost Ark, Last Epoch, and Grim Dawn are fiercer than ever, challenging the still-in-early-access Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2).

In a recent interview with PC Gamer, PoE 2 game director Jonathan Rogers shared his perspective on the competitive ARPG market. He emphasized that dominating the genre isn't the primary goal for PoE 2. "There is room for quite a lot of different players in the genre. It doesn't have to be that you've just got one game that dominates all the others," Rogers stated.

Rogers' confidence stems partly from the seasonal update format that many ARPGs, including PoE 2 and Diablo 4, have adopted. This format encourages players to return every few months to start new characters and explore the latest seasonal tweaks and mechanics. While other genres like shooters and battle royale games also use seasons, Rogers noted that ARPG players have particularly embraced this model.

"[ARPGs] are one of the genres where the player community have embraced the idea of the season where you play the game for a while, you quit, you play something else, you come back and play the next season," Rogers explained. "That's kind of the expectation in the genre, partly due to the fact that our approach to that has kind of inspired a lot of that stuff going on."

Given this cyclical engagement, Rogers believes there's ample space for PoE 2, Diablo 4, and other ARPGs to coexist successfully. "I'm perfectly fine with the idea of [there being ARPGs from] plenty of other people," he said. "So long as people are willing to come back and play our game for a month four times a year, then I'm good."

Interestingly, Rogers revealed that he doesn't extensively play other ARPGs himself. "I do play them a bit, but honestly, I am not actually someone who gets to the full endgame grind of lots of other action RPGs," he admitted. Instead, he draws game design inspiration from outside the genre, citing games like Civilization as sources of interesting mechanics to potentially incorporate into PoE 2.

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The seasonal format has indeed become a staple in the ARPG genre, with every Diablo game except the first adopting it, and even games without official seasons, like Grim Dawn, enjoying community-run seasons. This format makes sense for ARPGs, as players often enjoy starting fresh after fully equipping their characters.

For those feeling overwhelmed by the multitude of live service games vying for attention, Rogers' approach with PoE 2 is refreshing. The game doesn't aim to monopolize players' time but rather to provide a compelling experience that keeps them coming back season after season.

Path of Exile 2 is currently available in early access on Steam, and Grinding Gear Games has recently announced details about its first major update, which is coming soon. As the ARPG genre continues to evolve, PoE 2 stands out with its unique seasonal content and dedicated player base, ensuring its place among top competitors like Diablo 4.