This article delves into the latest updates and discussions surrounding The Bazaar, including insights from Reynad and Shurkou. It covers comparisons to TFT, challenges with matchmaking, upcoming gameplay changes, and plans for future patches.
You’ll also find details about the open beta timeline, new mechanics like item transformations, and the team’s roadmap for improving progression systems, balance, and content delivery.
Lastly, Reynad shares his frustrations over uncredited ideas and long-term goals, including a mobile release. If you’re eager for behind-the-scenes insights into The Bazaar’s development, this is the read for you.
Interview Insights
- Reynad and Shurkou had an in-depth discussion about The Bazaar and how it compares to TFT. Reynad noted that they haven’t been able to attract much of TFT’s player base (calling them League of Legends addicts, jokingly), so he asked Shurkou for insights on what TFT does better. Shurkou pointed out that TFT’s anomaly system and cash-out traits are particularly enjoyable and suggested adding features or items in The Bazaar that reward players for losing streaks. Reynad agreed to some extent, mentioning they’re exploring ideas like events that provide 2 extra XP if a player is below a certain level threshold, though he stressed they don’t want it to become an easily exploitable strategy.
- Reynad also explained their current matchmaking approach, which uses Swiss rounds. Matching players with similar daily win records could be abused if players intentionally lose to secure easier matches later, undermining the incentive to play for tempo.
- While Reynad acknowledged there are balance issues and a tendency for players to force specific builds, he’s optimistic that consistent content updates next year—like expanding hero options—will address these problems. He expressed frustration over Super Auto Pets and Backpack Battles adopting The Bazaar‘s asynchronous matchmaking without crediting them. Shurkou reminded him that this matchmaking approach was initially mocked but later proved successful in other games, potentially making things tougher for The Bazaar. Shurkou also suggested adding a random loadout option with rewards, which Reynad found intriguing.
- The next patch is slated for early January, not January 6th as rumored. The team has already designed much of the patch, with testing underway on a staging server. Reynad mentioned the need for a proper PTR server in the future to help catch bugs more efficiently, given the game’s complexity and their small design team.
- Shurkou criticized Reddit users for their overreactions, citing an example where they prematurely dismissed the pufferfish item as useless, only to claim they “always knew it was overpowered” once it turned out to be broken. Reynad, amused, listened with a grin as Shurkou vented.
- Reynad talked about ongoing efforts to shift passive items into more active ones, like adding effects for haste, cooldown reduction, or critical hits. He highlighted some overlooked items, like the Monitor Lizard, and promised improvements in the next patch, though a few outliers might remain.
- As for the open beta, the timeline has shifted to February, though Reynad was cautious about promising a specific date. The open beta will transition the game to free-to-play, requiring new monetization systems like a battle pass, hero expansions, and more. These features, along with thorough bug fixes, are still in development. Season 1, featuring card packs and the new hero Mak, is planned to include a transform mechanic for items. For example, the Virus item will duplicate itself, and the Balloon Bot will change mid-combat when popped.
- Reynad teased potential new mechanics, like shrinking cards, and said they’re building the necessary tech to support them. They’re also overhauling the development pipeline to make patching quicker and more frequent, aiming for bi-weekly updates once everything is set.
- Level-up rewards and skills are being reworked to provide more predictable progression. Fixed rewards will appear at levels like 3, 6, and 9, and skill trainers will become part of the level-up system rather than showing up randomly. Starting items will be simplified, and bronze skills will be rebalanced to scale more reasonably.
- Reynad agreed that upgrading items is currently too challenging. They plan to introduce more opportunities for item upgrades and make the process smoother. For instance, if a shop roll hits an upgrade, it will automatically “downshift” to make the upgrade easier, though this still needs adjustment to work with certain merchants.
- Finally, Reynad shared long-term plans, including a mobile release for Q4 2025, though he cautioned fans to take the timeline with a grain of salt.
