Clash of Clans devs reveal plans to address the “extremely wide” skill gap between pro play and casual gamers by introducing a special Hard Mode in future updates.
Clash of Clans has long been a household name in the sphere of mobile and strategy games, 12 years to be exact. However, the game’s pro play scene has yet to grow its roots and community.
While the Clash of Clans esports scene is a growing industry in both teams and audiences, many pro players have already expressed concern over the lack of skilled play and the game’s loss of strategic appeal. Since introducing higher-level town halls, Supercell has struggled to balance the meta and serve its two masters, the casual gaming community and its pro scene.
In a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) on the official Clash of Clans subreddit, Stuart, the General Manager of Clash of Clans, entertained some questions about the esports meta and the game’s balance.
Stuart admitted that there is an “extremely wide” skill gap between casual Clash of Clans gamers and the meta-defining strategies of pro play. While some are yearning for a more challenging experience, some would consider the game hard the way it is.
With this in mind, Supercell revealed their plans to introduce a Hard Mode, an optional game mode for Friendly Wars and Friendly Challenges, that may be implemented in the Clash of Clans World Championship later this year. The dev did not go into further detail on the increased challenges of the possible game mode.
Having an esports industry for a mobile game is not entirely new. We’ve seen the success of first-person shooter and MOBA games in their pro-level play in recent years. However, the gameplay of Clash of Clans is highly reliant on the power of the existing troops and towers, not just the players’ skills.
We’ve seen a few relevant changes to the in-game meta in recent months to appeal to the demands of both player communities. We’ve seen three Root Rider nerfs in half a year, the introduction of Hero Equipment and pets that drastically changed the gameplay, and several balancing updates every month.
If you’re a Town Hall 15 (and above) player looking for a more stimulating game play, you’ll surely need to look forward to the Hard Mode gameplay later this year.