Dungeon Defenders Eternity adds what no one asked for

Dungeon Defenders Eternity launched yesterday on Steam for PCs and Android for the Nvidia Tegra. Surprise! If this isn’t Dungeon Defenders 2, what is this release? It’s a standalone re-release of Dungeon Defenders with a new multiplayer server system. It includes all the map DLC from the first game and an in-game microtransaction store, which requires players to be online at all times. Owners of Dungeon Defenders on Steam get a 40% discount on Eternity.

As you may imagine, the reaction from longtime fans has been less than enthusiastic. Here’s how Trendy Entertainment’s senior producer Brad Logston explained why they needed to make a new version of the game.

Player hacking was the biggest reported problem on the original Dungeon Defenders. To ensure players aren’t cheating in Dungeon Defenders Eternity, and for our future release of Dungeon Defenders II, we needed to create a connected, always online service hosted in a secure environment. This isn’t about DRM. We want to help players have positive experiences in our games where legitimate time and effort is rewarded and cheaters can’t negatively impact everyone else.

Let’s be honest with each other. There aren’t that many players that gave a damn about cheating in Dungeon Defenders. Playing offline or cheating in a co-op action tower defense game isn’t a problem for players. It’s a problem for the developer that wants to sell cosmetic upgrades and consumable boost potions.