Spellsouls: Duel of Legends combines the MOBA and card game experience for mobile

A mobile developer is moving from soccer to a different kind competitive game.

Developer Nordeus today announced Spellsouls: Duel of Legends for iOS and Android. The game combines aspects of both multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs) and digital cards games, both of which are two of the most popular genres in the esports world. Of course, bringing those experiences together can’t guarantee an esports hit. The market will decide that. Spellsouls has soft launched for iOS in Taiwan, Canada, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

MOBAs are no stranger to mobile, with Vainglory resting as the No. 641 ranked game on the U.S. iOS App Store, according to App Annie. Digital card games have also had success on mobile. Blizzard’s Hearthstone is ranked No. 396, and it leads a $1.2 billion category in the gaming market.

Spellsouls look like a traditional MOBA with its fantasy setting, top-down view, minions, and lane-based combat, but its has some major differences. Players fight against each other one-on-one, and they use abilities from a deck of cards that they create in order to fight. Battles will take about three minutes. You can learn more about how the game works in the video above.

The Serbia-based Nordeus also created the mobile soccer game series Top Eleven, which has over 150 million registered players. Top Eleven 2017 is the No. 128 ranked sports game on the U.S. iOS App Store, according to App Annie.

“We set out to ensure that Spellsouls builds on our strengths in competitive gaming to bring players a true blend of game genres that balances fast action and deep strategy” said Ivan Stojisavljević, chief technology officer and co-founder of Nordeus. “We’re bringing a lot of the knowledge and expertise gained from years developing and running Top Eleven to Spellsouls; with triple-A production values and deep engagement as our two highest priorities.”