HypeSquad
HypeSquad Development Closure Announcement
First and foremost, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to all of our Squads who have participated in the testing of HypeSquad with great interest and affection over the past year and 6 months.
We have carefully reviewed each and every feedback that our Squads have provided up to the recent final test.
After extensive efforts over a considerable period, we have come to the conclusion that HypeSquad still has much work ahead to provide a satisfactory and stable service for our Squads in the future. Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the development of our project, HypeSquad.
We sincerely apologize for not being able to deliver the results you were hoping for. We would like to, once again, thank all of our Squads who have supported HypeSquad with love and encouragement during this time.
■ Discord/Customer Support/Official Website Closure Schedule
- 10/10 (Tue) 14:00 (KST)
※ Please make sure to save any data you may need personally before the closure.
We hope for the wellness and happiness of all our Squads who have been with us throughout this journey with HypeSquad.
Thank you.
9/14(Thurs) Server Maintenance Notice
9/7(Thurs) Server Maintenance
A server maintenance will take place to add new content, fix issues and apply balance changes.
Check below for more information.
■ Maintenance Schedule
: 9/7(Thurs) 10:00 ~ 11:00 (KST)
■ Patch Note
Update
(1) New 6v6 Mode “Record Break”
- A new mode “Record Break” will be added.
[Victory Condition] Record Break is a mode where victory is achieved by acquiring the charging device generated in the center of the map and completing charging for 3 minutes.
- If the charge is not completed within the time limit, the outcome of the match will be determined based on the maximum charge amount achieved by both teams.
- If the losing team acquires the charging device within the time limit, extra time will be activated and the game will end when the charging device is dropped.
[Charging Device Penalty] The character holding the charging divide will have a debuff effect triggered and will receive reduced movement speed, defense, and stamina recovery.
- The charging device will drop when the character dies.
- The charging device will drop when the character moves to the spawn area.
[Time Charge Event] When a player acquires the charging device, additional charging areas on the map will be activated. If the player holding the charging device moves to these areas, additional charging will occur.
(2) New Vita Spear Skin
- 4 New Skins (Naturalist, Gemstone, Elegance, and Gungnir) will be added.
(3) New Viewable Stats will be added
- New stats, which can be viewed through [Info], will be added.
1. [Lobby] → [Info] → [Stat]
> Overall → Average HP Recovery Amount
> Mode → Conquest (Average Conquere Score/Average Recovery) / Kill and Carry (Average Return Amount /Average Recovery) / Record Break(Average Energy Charge/Average Recovery)
2. [Info] → [Record] → [Mode]
> Conquest(Average Recovery) / Kill and Carry(Total, Average Return Amount,Average Recovery) / Record Break(Total, Average Energy Recharge Time, Average Recovery)
※Rank Data will be updated based on games played after the 9/7(Thurs) Maintenance.
(4) Recovery Stat
- Recovery stat will be added in the Match Result screen.
*Recovery is the total amount of HP Recovered through HP Pack, Vita Spear, etc.,
Balance Changes
(1) Level Up Talent System Balance Adjustment
1. Attack
- Lv.3: Increases Crit Damage by 10% → 8%
- Lv.5: Deals additional DMG equal to 3% of the target’s max HP → Crit Damage 10%
2. Defense
- Lv.1: Increases DEF by 15% → 10%
- Lv.2, 4, 6: Increases DEF by 6% → 5%
- Lv.3: Increases Max HP by 250 → 150
3. Vengeance
- Lv.1: Increases DMG Vamp cap 70% → 60%
- Lv.3: Increases ATK cap 30% → 25%
- Lv.5: Increases Stamina Recovery Rate cap 0.3 → 0.2
4. Disruption
- Lv.3: Deals 100 DMG per second to nearby enemies → Upon landing an attack, reduces ATK by 15% for 2 sec
- Lv.5: Reduces the target’s MOV SPD by 10% HP recovery by 40% duration 5s → 8s
5. Assassination
- Lv.5: Recover 30% HP/ Ultimate Gauge 50% → HP 30% / 30%
6. Evasion
- Lv.1: Evade distance increases by 1m → 1.5m
- Lv.3: Decreases damage taken by 50% for 3 sec → Recover 3 Stamina upon successful evasion
(2) Weapon Balance Adjustment
1. Force Shield
- Stampede(R-Skill) has been adjusted to be used more quickly and the charge speed has been adjusted from 3000 → 4000.
Bug Fix (Discord User Report Included)
(1) Weapon
1. Pulse Staff
- Issue where the unique skill effect of Pulse Staff did not increase ATK DMG will be fixed.
- Issue where the increase in stamina recovery text was not mentioned in the Pulse Staff’s unique skill description will be fixed.
2. Knucklers
- Issue where the Rush Impact(MR-Skill) description displayed the incorrect DMG amount will be fixed.
3. Laito Blade
- Issue where Laito Blade’s unique skill does not function properly at times will be fixed. (unique skill effect was applying 2 stacks instead of 3 when using E skill).
4. Others
- Issue where some weapon descriptions displayed the wrong Skill DMG amount and effect will be fixed.
(2) Expired Item
- Youtube and Twitch skins that were set to expire will be fixed, and skins will be redistributed.
(3) Others
- Issue where the camera would shake during the match result screen will be fixed.
- Issue where evade motion would not reset properly after it is used will be fixed.
- Issue where the Pulse Staff Leaping Bash(MR-Skill) motion would not reset properly will be fixed.
- Issue where the using the Striker Ultimate(Earthquake Punch) skill reduced stamina to 0 will be fixed.
- Issue where the Combobuster basic ATK was not functioning correctly will be fixed.
- Issue where basic ATK gets stuck locked on controllers will be fixed.
- Issue where selected weapon skins were not applied when entering a match through match invasion will be fixed.
- Issue where the AI bot slides after using a skill will be fixed.
- Intermittent issues where evade bonuses were not correctly applied will be fixed.
- Issue where Kaija would show trembling motion when using Booster and a specific dash skill at the same time will be fixed.
- Issue where a bot using link cleavers remains in the playground will be fixed.
- Issue where the Best Play clip does not display correctly in matches entered through match invasion will be fixed.
Thank you.
[Dev_Note] Final Test
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in the Sneak Peek Test. We’ve taken the time to read through all the feedback, expressing concerns and sharing valuable opinions. We would like to share our insight on the feedback for this Final Test.
1. Survival Mode
Currently, we do not have plans to test out the Survival Mode during the Final Test.
The dev team has been working on the Survival mode (Battle Royale) for a long time. We aimed to explore the potential of close-quarters action battle royale but faced numerous challenges.
Due to the trait being a real-time close-quarters action PVP, the essential factor for us to proceed with the official launch was having a smooth matchmaking experience with a significant number of players.
However, we’ve observed through multiple previous tests that there is a growing gap between players who quickly adapted and those who were new to the game.
The challenge for the dev team arose from the situation where new players found it difficult to settle into the game, which in turn led to difficulties in matchmaking, thus creating a vicious cycle where level-based matchmaking became impractical.
We developed and introduced AI Bot to address the issue of matchmaking and the shortage of players, but this resulted in giving players the fun of PVE yet deviated from the essence of PVP.
We knew Battle Royales requires a significantly sized player base for matchmaking, but we aimed to focus more on delivering the enjoyment of real-time close-quarters action PVP of HypeSquad.
As a result, we developed other modes (besides Survival mode) which could run better with fewer players. We aim to test whether these new modes will allow new players to HypeSquad to quickly get used to the game and have an enjoyable gaming experience.
We apologize to everyone who has been with us through the long journey, and we kindly ask for your understanding in our decision to emphasize testing the three new modes (Conquest, Kill and Carry, Record Break).
2. Combat and Balance
We thank you for providing feedback regarding the new character abilities, Stamina system, weapon balance, and more changes. The dev team thoroughly reviewed the feedback and plans to actively work to implement them in the Final test. All changes will be shared through the Patch Note, along with the intention behind these changes.
▶ Character Ability
Balance issue amongst the character abilities
First and foremost, we apologize for any inconvenience caused by the balance issues. When we make modifications, we consider various data formed through several tests to decide if something needs a buff or nerf.
As for Jiwoo, we identified an overbalanced situation while attempting to improve the pick rate, which was initially relatively low during internal tests. However, based on the data from the Sneak Peek Test, we plan to make the following adjustments below. And we will continue to actively refer to the feedback from the community along with the data to fine-tune these adjustments during the Final Test.
Additionally, we consider the abilities of Walter and Renee to be doing well in terms of performance rather than needing significant changes as of now. Still, we will closely monitor how their abilities impact the game through the test.
▶ Stamina System
We will share our insight on some of our feedback regarding the topic. As for the reason behind the significant direction change of the cooldown system to the stamina system, kindly refer to the previous post, the [Dev_note] Sneak Peek Test.
Stamina System needs changes because repeatedly using a single skill makes the game dull
While changes due to the stamina system are also a factor, we believe some aspects regarding the weapon skill mechanism are lacking. Our long-term goal is to improve the weapon to clearly define each point, allowing players to understand each skill’s distinct role and combination.
In the Final Test, we’ve adjusted the Stamina system so that the cost for each consecutive use of the same skill will increase by 1 stamina. Through this, we hope to lessen the excessive repeated use of the same skill and also allow players to utilize better and strategize the weapon skills. Furthermore, we adjusted the high stamina consumption, which had been set high in the first place, as we had concerns about spamming of skills as well. Now, players can experience using various skill combinations as before.
The UI for Ability seems less intuitive compared to the cooldown system
The value for [Setting] → [Gameplay] → [Show Simple Skill Icon] has been set to be “Enabled” in default, which will help with better visibility of skills.
▶ Weapon Balance and System
Regarding Two Weapon System
The NA Server Focus Test Dev Note explains why we decided to make changes to the 2 Weapon → 1 Weapon. So today, we would like to share more of the dev team’s insight on this matter.
Using two weapon combinations could be complex, making it difficult for most players to adapt and enjoy the game. During the Final Test, our goal will be to continue to improve the weapon skill and balance so that players can have a fun gaming experience even with 1 weapon system.
Regarding Weapon Balance
We are actively reviewing the feedback and the log data to check on what weapon needs balance changes. We’ve observed through the feedback that the player experience was CC of weapon skills were still dominant. As such, we have prioritized adjusting the duration of CC effects.
The reason why we changed the skills of Combobuster, Laito Blade, and Frost Cannon was so that we could exclude the wide-area CC skills from the weapons with CC effects, and other skills may be balanced accordingly.
While the current skill sets may be unbalanced, we will work to make it better through the Final Test.
3. New Mode
Many players have taken the time to share with us their feedback on the two new modes (Conquest and Kill & Carry), which were introduced earlier through the Sneak Peek Test. The Dev team is improving the modes while considering all the feedback. The following changes will be made to the modes during the Final Test.
Conquest Mode
We have reduced the player count from 9 vs 9 to 6 vs 6. This change aims to create a ground for more strategic gameplay by allowing players to assess the situation and engage in batters with better situational awareness.
One of the features of Conquest mode was pushing the enemy from the central point of the base when a team successfully conquered the base. However, this feature was sometimes not working as intended, so it was excluded in this Final Test.
Kill and Carry Mode
To address the issue where games abruptly ended before players could fully grasp the situation of the game, we have limited the maximum battery capacity to 300. The Kill and Carry mode will maintain the current 12 vs 12 system.
▶[Go to Final Test Patch Note]
Thank you.
Final Test Patch Note
Sneak Peek Test Patch Notes
[Dev_note] Sneak Peek Test Preview
We want to share some of the changes that are going to come in the Sneak Peek Test!
Character Ability
Each character will have their own respective HP and Energy, and a unique character ability will be added.
Previously, we deliberately refrained from giving each character their own ability with the intention of allowing players to choose and play with the characters based on their aesthetic preferences. Now in this test, we will be introducing distinct character abilities which will allow players to choose their own battle style.
Moreover, this change was made to address the issue of the players being unable to anticipate the abilities the enemy team would use. With the new character's unique abilities, being aware of what abilities each enemy could use became easier.
Weapon Stamina / Evade Skill
To emphasize the uniqueness of each weapon, a weapon stamina system has been added.
Adjustments have been made to improve the limitations of the current cooldown system and enhance the combat experience, where players could creatively come up with different skill combos that fit their skill preferences.
Furthermore, a universal evade system has been added.
While the previous combat system relied on measuring the distance between the players and the enemies while rapidly unleashing skills, with the introduction of the evade system, players will be able to strategically choose between evading and attacking, which would lead to advantageous outcomes in combat.
New Mode and Level-up Talent
RvR mode will be added.
HypeSquad is a weapon-based skill action game. However, there have been some challenges, like new players often ending up dying early on before fully understanding a single skill or players unable to fully enjoy the match due to the game being a battle royale mode.
We’ve been exploring ways to address the above challenges and thus came up with 3 different RvR modes, each with its own unique experience.
The current Level-up Talent system included aspects of growing stronger through progression, which sometimes failed to emphasize each player’s own unique play style, so we remade the system to provide a broader range of options allowing more emphasis on each player’s play style.
We would like to thank our Squad for patiently waiting, and we ask for your continued interest and participation in the upcoming test!
Thank you.
HypeSquad Sneak Peek Test Schedule
Today we’ll be answering the question you’ve all been asking about!
🎉The HypeSquad Final Test will take place during 2023.9.1(Fri) ~ 9.25(Mon) (KST)!
And, of course, we’ll have another Sneak Peek test to give you a peek before the Final Test! While we planned to have the test in mid-August, we wanted to have a more polished build for testing. That is why the Sneak Peek test came a bit late August, and the Final test will start in early September!
Sneak Peek Test❔
: The Sneak Peek Test will be a chance to check out the new mode and improved HypeSquad in advance!
Itching to play HypeSquad ASAP? Make sure to check the Sneak Peek Test schedule and have a taste of what’s to come during the Final Test!
■ Sneak Peek Test Details
Test Period: 2023.8.26(Sat) - 8.27(Sun) (3 Hours By Region)
Server Region: North America, East Asia, Europe
Note: Participants of the Sneak Peek Test are allowed to create video content or stream during the test.
How to Participate: Players can access the game through the HypeSquad Demo App.
■ Schedule by Server
🞄 North America Region
: 08.26(Sat) 5 PM - 8 PM PDT (UTC-7)
🞄 Europe Region
: 08.26(Sat) 2 PM - 5 PM CEST (UTC+2)
🞄 East Asia Region
: 08.25(Sat) 9 PM - 12 AM KST (UTC+9)
■ How to download the Demo App
: Steam > Store > Search “HypeSquad” > Download HypeSquad Demo App (HypeSquad Sneak Peek Test)
*For those who have previously participated in a test with the HypeSquad Demo App, you may access the game through the already downloaded HypeSquad Demo App (HypeSquad NA Server Focus Test).
*If you have previously downloaded the Demo App, take note that the name of the Demo App will remain unchanged.
Thank you.
NA Server Focus Test has ended
NA Server Focus Test has ended as of today.
Thank you for participating in the NA Server Focus Test.
We hope everyone had an enjoyable time!
All the feedback and suggestions we’ve received will be carefully looked into and considered as we strive to make HypeSquad better! We’ll be working hard to bring good news soon!
Here are some changes that will be made with the end of the test.
- All data will reset when the NA Server Focus Test ends.
* All items acquired through the events will be available to be used in the future. (if specified)
Feel free to leave more feedback through our official discord!
Thank you once again for participating in the test!
Thank you
5/30(Tues) Server Maintenance
Server maintenance will take place to fix some issues and make improvements.
Check below for more details.
■ Maintenance Schedule
: 5/30(Tues) 5 AM - 6 AM (PDT)
■ Patch Note
- Matching pool will be expanded for a smoother matching experience.
- Issue where the game crashes at times will be fixed.
- Issue where some players are unable to receive the Twitch Drops reward will be fixed.
- Issue where players are able to use basic ATK at a fast speed by canceling the usage of return ability will be fixed.
- Level up system exp balance changes will be made.
: Exp gain through survival time will slightly decrease.
: Exp gain through defeating enemies will increase as follows:
Level 1 - 2: No changes
Level 3 - 9: Increased by 50%
Level 10 - 12: Increased by 25%
Thank you.