Predecessor is that rare story where the history of its development might be as interesting as the game itself. In 2018, Epic Games made the decision to cancel its third-person action-MOBA, Paragon. In an unexpected move, it made all of the assets available, for free, to anyone using Unreal Engine. Robbie Singh, a Paragon content creator who didn’t want to see one of his favorite games simply disappear, took this as a challenge.

He decided to set up a company, Omeda Studios, and assembled a team to create Predecessor, using Paragon’s original assets to build something that honored what could otherwise have been a game lost to time.

“Our history with the game is quite special,” Singh tells me. “It was born from the passionate community of Paragon, a game we loved and believed deserved to live on. We, as fans, took up that mantle to evolve that experience, as we know that MOBAs offer something truly unique that no other genre does: the interplay between individual skill and grand team strategy.”

After almost two years in Early Access, Predecessor launched on Xbox in August of last year, and now boasts over 2 million players across all platforms. But what’s truly fascinating is that Omeda has grown as a developer alongside its game – approaching a year since release, Predecessor isn’t a Paragon tribute act, but a true evolution of Epic’s original idea.

Keeping the Balance

“When we began the project, we were thinking only about bringing back a game that we loved,” explains Singh, “but as we started to reach that goal, our ambitions changed, and we wanted to make a game that we ourselves would want to play a lot now.”

The result is a fascinating mixture of game preservation and something like an emerging alternate timeline – Omeda is bringing to life not just what Paragon was, but what it could have become. The balancing act between those two impulses is a major part of that thinking. Predecessor now includes every playable Paragon hero, and its 1.7 update (arriving tomorrow, July 22) will go even further by adding Agora, the original Paragon map.

“The history of Agora is quite unique,” says Singh. “It was Paragon‘s original launch map, and while it was later replaced, for many, it represented the absolute peak of their experience with the game. For us, especially with many former Paragon players on our team (including me and the other founders), there’s been this long-standing, almost magnetic desire to bring it back. When you look at our community feedback, while incredibly supportive, they are very passionate and vocal, and the request to ‘bring back Agora’ was something we saw over and over again. As a company that prides itself on being community-focused, delivering this was something we really wanted to do.”

But alongside all this work on retaining the past, Omeda has been working on its own ideas, too. “While it’s true that Predecessor started its life as Paragon, it has unequivocally become something far more,” Singh continues.

“We felt that Paragon was special due to its unique blend of intense 3D action and deep MOBA strategy. However, MOBA design, and game design in general, has evolved significantly since Paragon‘s original release. So, whilst it was a starting point, we’ve worked incredibly hard to build something truly unique and forward-looking that stands as a game in its own right.

“Apart from some familiar Paragon heroes, many of which have had significant visual, mechanical or gameplay updates or overhauls, everything else in Predecessor is our own creation. We’ve built our own rich universe, designed original heroes with innovative kits, added new mechanics, crafted new game modes, and developed our own distinct maps.

“So, while Paragon veterans will find familiar faces, this game is truly built from the ground up to offer an accessible yet deeply rewarding experience that we’re confident all MOBA players will love.”

Going Beyond PC

But what’s truly key to Predecessor is that Omeda isn’t setting its sights on just Paragon fans, or even traditional MOBA fans. The team wants to capture an audience that might never have played a MOBA before, or perhaps hasn’t clicked with the famously intense genre. Key to that is being console friendly – for such a hugely popular swathe of games, remarkably few have broken through off-PC.

Predecessor is designed to feel good on a controller – from guiding your hero, to navigating the menus – and the more action-focused take on the genre lends itself well to console play.

“Combat and movement are absolutely crucial for console gamers,” adds Singh, “and I think we’ve really nailed the feeling of both on a controller. So, it’s now a case of continuing to refine everything else to bring it up to the standard we’re aiming for.”

Aside from anything else, Singh also feels that now is the time for a true on-console MOBA breakthrough, and wants his game to be the one to crack it:

“What’s interesting is the evolution of PvP games over the last decade or so. Genres like Battle Royale and Extraction Shooters have emerged and become incredibly popular. I sense that players are increasingly seeking deeper experiences, with more opportunities for genuine skill expression and mastery. With that in mind, I believe this is truly the perfect moment for a MOBA, done properly on console, to really shine.”

Omeda has also focused heavily on helping to make non-MOBA players feel comfortable when entering Predecessor, and a restlessly experimental approach to design is a key part of that:

“One aspect that might surprise players from other genres is the paramount importance of the map in a MOBA,” explains Singh. “When millions upon millions of matches are played on a single battlefield, any map change is inherently controversial and demands immense care.

“To navigate this, we recently introduced ‘Labs’ – a dynamic game mode where we can experiment with our wilder ideas before they make it into our core game. Labs allows us to conduct large-scale playtesting and gather invaluable insights. ‘Legacy’ is a great example of content we’re testing here, as part of our exploration of new concepts that will directly inform the redesign of our main map. We also launched ‘Labs: Nitro’ in our last update, offering a faster-paced MOBA experience. While initially conceived as a temporary mode, it proved incredibly popular with many players, so we’re keeping it around longer and will continue to iterate and improve upon it. This flexibility that Labs provides us is genuinely exciting.”

The Future of the Past

Predecessor is approaching a true inflection point as it nears its first anniversary – there’s less and less of the original Paragon to recreate, which means more and more time can be spent on creating something truly new. It makes for a exciting future:

“Our ambition as a studio is to hit the next level in community-powered game development, for two main reasons: one is that we’ve come from the community around the original game – Predecessor started life as a community project and we think that is what makes us special. And the second is that, across game development in general, our favourite games from our favourite studios all have the connection to their community in common. Listening to player feedback, respecting the investment that your community makes, we think this is absolutely essential in making a game that stands the test of time.

“I realise now more than ever that you get pulled in a lot of different directions when you are making games, so I can see how easy it is for people to lose sight of the people you are actually making the game for in the first place, but we always come back to the core of what we think makes Predecessor and Omeda special, which is the fact that we prioritise player feedback above all else.”

Wherever it goes next, Predecessor is an inspiring project – a genuine passion project that’s succeeded where its inspiration couldn’t. There are very few developers doing what Omeda has done – and what it does next could be even rarer.

Predecessor

Omeda Studios Limited

☆☆☆☆☆
288

★★★★★

Get it now

BECOME PARAGON

Play Your Way
With more than 40 powerful Heroes to choose from, each with unique and devastating abilities such as shooting through walls, turning invisibile and raining down rockets from above, there’s more than one way to take down your opponents! Hit your lane and push the enemy objective, taking down towers as you battle to destroy their core all while protecting your own. Predecessor plays like a traditional three lane MOBA, but with genre-redefining elements such as an immersive third-person perspective, high quality graphics and game-changing map verticality.

Join 2,000,000 players on the battlefield today!
You’re not alone in the fight – team up with up to 4 allies and lay waste to your opponents by working together to secure objectives, control your lane and engage in epic team fights! Earn gold and experience to buy items to truly customise your playstyle, level up your abilities and deliver devastating ultimates!

Skill Up and Show Off!
Whether you’re a grizzled veteran or a MOBA newcomer, Predecessor gives you the tools to succeed.

New to MOBAs? Take on roles that feel familiar such as Support or Jungler, or pick Heroes that let you focus on your favourite playstyle, such as a gunslinging sharpshooter or a sword-swinging, shield-wielding knight!

Got some expertise to flaunt? Lead your team from the front, squeezing every drop of power out of your Hero and taking your allies to a surefire victory!

Start your Legacy Today!
Predecessor redefines the modern MOBA experience, combining unique characters and abilities with breathtaking third-person graphics and verticality. Best of all, it’s completely free to play! Jump into the action now and see why more than 2,000,000 players love Predecessor.

Predecessor contains optional in-game purchases (including random items).