[Update: David Lowey has provided some clarification ??on Atari's reason??ing behind acquiring these properties:

"We do think Awesomenauts and Swords & Soldiers are both strong games, and they were on Wade's radar. When w?e?? found out that they were available it made the decision to acquire them easier.

Both games show off Ronimo’s sense of?? humor, their ability to create compelling characters and stories, and their game design. They were received very positively when they were released, and they continue to support an active player base and community of fans. So, we think they are a good addition to Atari’s portfolio, and we will explore ways to continue to support and commercialize the existing games and the underlying IP.

We have only announced the acquisition of the games, trademarks, and the underlying intellectual property. As of now, we have nothing to s??hare regarding ongoing collaboration with the team members at the studio."

Fair enough! Our original story follows.]

Atari has announced that they’ve acquired a few high-ish profile properties from Ronimo Games. Notably, these titles include Awesomenauts and Swords & Soldiers.

The press release sounds like those two games were the cream of the crop, but the only other property I really know Romino owns is BlightBound. Awesomenauts is a 2012 MOBA, and is p?robably the closest I’ve come to enjoying a MOBA. I didn’t, but I almost did. As is common for MOBAs, it had a tonne of DLC cosmetics. It’s still going as a free-to-play title to some extent, but since it’s over a decade old, the player base has cooled, and it’s ?not as popular as it once was.

Swords & Soldiers was first announced as a WiiWare game back in 2009, and stood out because there was never a whole lot on WiiWare. It was eventually rescued and ported to other platforms. In 2015, it got a sequel, which was Swords & Soldiers II: Shawarmageddon. I never played either tit??le, but now I’ve got a mighty craving for shawarma.

What puzzles me is why Atari wanted these properties. The current version of Atari is going through a period of acquisitions to try and focus its strategy. Part of the strategy is doing smaller budget titles, so these fit that bill, but it’s still interesting that they bought these properties in particular instead of, say, Romino itself. Did Ronimo need the money, and Atari saw the opportunity? Did key staff move to Atari and want to continue working on their established series? Is CEO Wade Rosen a fan of these games?

I’ve reached out to my person on the inside to see if they can deobfuscate things and will update this article if they g??et back to me with some interesting information?.

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It's a great MOBA for newcomers and seasoned players alike

With 330 hours on my account, it feels utterly strange coming back to Awesomenauts after a long hiatus. I remember Clunk being my bestie, and not much else. There's a handful of characters I don't even recognize, which is frightening in a three-on-three MOBA where you ??have to pull your own weight.

What originally pushed me away from the game wasn't boredom so much as the dwindling active player base and everything that can entail in a competitive multiplayer title. I wasn't sure I'd ever care to return barring a sequel, but with Ronimo shifting to a free-to-play model (see the here's-what-you-get breakdown for returning players right here), I had to pay Awesomenauts another visit.

In short, the game's still got it and more players will mean faster matching queues and more evenhanded teams. Awesomenauts is a good, no-risk point of entry to MOBAs if you've ever been curious. It handles like an action-platformer, and there aren't so many characters or items to keep track of that you??'ll feel overwhelmed for very long. Really, I can't vouch for it enough.

"Looking?? beyond the coming weeks, I can tell you we already have lots of new content lined up as well," noted Ronimo in today's announcement. "We've recently been teasing a new character that will join the Awesomenauts? in Update 4.1 and you can look forward to the full reveal on May 31st!"

I only wish this had happened sooner.

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I'd love to see this game thrive

On May 24, the 2D MOBA Awesomenauts is finally, thankfully going free-to-play.

That's a while from now, though. Why make the ??announcement so early? Ronimo is gearing up for the free-to-play transition with a beta update for current players available today, April 26. What to expect:

• A reworked tutorial and "beginner experience."
• A new progression system that tracks your profile and individual characters to award unlocks like currency bonuses, portraits, and character items.
• A new form of currency, "Awesomepoints," that's earned in-game through PvP matches or the new co-op vs. bots mode. You can use these points to buy characters, profile portraits, and drop pods.
• Medals for reaching specific milestones.
• The ability to buy playable characters and drop pods with real money, including an "All Nauts" pack that grants access to every current and future character. As before, cosmetic skins will only ever be purchasable with real-world currency.

According to the studio, "Nobody will lose any content during this transition. Existing players will automatically have all the content they previously owned unlocked. And as an additional thank-you, all players who have registered a copy of Awesomenauts on Steam before of April 26th will be granted 'Founder' status, with a unique medal. Players who own Awesomenauts and both the Starstorm and Overdrive expansions by May 24th will automatically be upgraded to the new 'Awesomenauts All Nauts Pack,'?? which will grant ??them all playable characters for free, forever."

I haven't played since Ronimo implemen????ted its new matchmaking system. I'm way overdue.

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There's an all-new matchmaking system

I'll never forget the good times I've had with Awesomenauts. Ronimo has continued to support its 2D MOBA for years, and it's to the point now that I can hardly fathom how it's still able to come out with updates when so many players have moved on. While I'd prefer a sequel at this point, that persistence is admirable. Today's update, "Rise of Galactron," addresses matchmaking and networking.

Impressively, the matchmaking system has been redone. "The game will no longer require you to maintain a non-stop connection to the Steam servers, which will ensure you don't disconnect from a match if the Steam servers go down for a second or two. Matchmaking is entirely handled by our own tech, and we've fundamentally changed the matchmaking flow. Players will now ?be matched all at once every few minutes, rather than be assigned to the best possible match that already exists."

Other revisions include a persistent party system, the ability to watch replays and chat while queuing, the option to rejoin a match after a disconnect, harsher leave penalties, and an overhauled charac??ter select screen that can remember your most recently played character and mark that as the default. And it wouldn't be an update without new skins, balance changes,?? and fixes as well.

"The development on Galactron lays the groundwork for many awesome features that will be coming to Awesomenauts over the next year," says Ronimo. "Including a live spectator mode coming next month, and a level editor with full Steam Workshop integrati??on coming?? next year!"

See? There's no stopping these guys!

Awesomenauts 3.3: Rise of Galactron - Out now! [Steam]

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September 7

Announced all the way back in mid-2014, Awesomenauts Assemble! (the console follow-up to the ill-fated original release that featured a nasty case of publishing problems) is coming to the Xbox One on September 7. As part of the celebration, Xbox One owners who pick the game up from launch until September 12 will get every character from the Starstorm expansion for free.

Just like the PC and PS4 editions it'll feature split-screen play, as well as 26 characters and tons of cosmetic skins. Every so often I go back to Awesomenauts and try out new additions, whether it's a cast member or a ?level, and I'm never disappointed. Ronimo has also done a great job of supporting the game since 2012, and is constantly tweaking things like the UI, adding quality of life additions, and balance changes.

It's in good hands, even if ??the console updates take longer than PC due to certifications.

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Three premium characters plus a free update

I never could have predicted Ronimo would be able to keep Awesomenauts going for this long. It's impressive! Today, the studio released another major update for the 2D MOBA as well as the second paid expansion, Overdrive, which adds three characters to the roster.

All players are getting a new matchmaking system; touched-up visuals for special effects, user-interface elements, and even cha??racters (Lonestar looks so much better); and a free 'naut, Ix the Interloper. He was the winning entry from last year's "?Design-Your-Naut 2" contest.

As for Overdrive itself, the expansion is $8.99 and includes the robo dino-summoning Professor Milton Yoolip, the biker bounty hunter Chucho Krokk, and the twins Jimmy, Amy, and their Lux-5000 Toddletron mech (all one character). As usual,? the artwork is great.

Since I last played Awesomenauts, Ronimo rolled out a new progression system for leveling up. That stuff might be new for you, too. There's also a map from the Starstorm expansion currently playable in a pre-alpha state in custom mat?ches ahead of its final release later this year.

Enough to get me back in? Probably not, if Heroes of the Storm has anything to say about it.

Overdrive [Awesomenauts]

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Among other enhancements

You really have to give it to Ronimo. It released its 2D action platformer MOBA Awesomenauts back in 2012, and as a smaller developer, it has gone through so much. It's dealt with legal issues surrounding the publishing of the game on previous generation consoles, and even created other projects while maintaining monthly support for Awesomenauts, as well as an expansion and a heap of free characters. You could say the team? has ?its hands full.

And the ride isn't over yet. Ronimo just announced its newest update, which is yet another expansion, titled Overdrive. It's set for release sometime next year. Among other base enhancements to the game like a new matchmaking system, the recent shared XP update (which brings it more in line with Heroes of the Storm and less like Dota or League), and visual reworks for classic characters, there's also a ton of ne?w content coming.

Four characters are already confirmed (Professor Yoolip, Chucho Krokk, Jimmy and Amy, and Ix the Interloper), as well as that Starstorm stage that still hasn't been released yet. Three of the characters will be part of the premium p?ackage, but Ix will be free for everyone.

I had a chance to play Yoolip this past week, and I have to say he's a pretty great addition to the team. His unique ability to repair allied NPC bots by whacking them with a wrench is incredibly useful, as is his ranged stun, and his power to create tiny robots of his own. Overall he feels a bit underpowered even if he's fun to play, but Overdrive is still in beta, so I expect Ronimo to make a lot of t??weaks by the time he's actually out.

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Also, the 2.12 update

I can't believe Awesomenauts is still getting free characters at this point beyond their Starstorm expansion -- it's been over three ye??ars since the game launched on PC. But? here we are, and on September 2nd, the game will get its 2.12 update, which will bring Ksenia, a "hairdresser assassin from space."

She'll be the 23rd character in the game, and sh??e'll arrive with a Sentai-like premium skin. You can get a look at her character above, as well as some hints at future updates.

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Rocco the bird

It's been a while since I've booted up Awesomenauts, but I think I'll be doing just that when the newest character hits the roster. His name is Rocco, and he's a bird with a bow. He also has chicken feet, which makes him amazing. Rocco will be added to the game in patch 2.11, at which point he'll be available to play for everyone who owns the game -- no Starstorm restrictions.

I can't believe Ronimo is updating the game over three years later, but here we are. I wish they didn't have their constant issues with the console editions of the game, as a cross-platform experience could have been really big for?? them.

Patch 2.11 [Awesomenauts] Thanks, Jonathan!

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The base game is $0.99

I've been playing Awesomenauts off and on for a few years now. I was pretty happy with my purchase of the Steam version for full price, but for the next few hours it's on sale for $0.99. If you haven't given it a shot yet, now is a good time. All of the DLC (including the Starstorm expansion) is half-off.

The PC edition is the clear-cut best version of the game, as it adds updates the moment they become available, instead of having to wait for publisher-specific patch processes on the PS4 (and the Xbox One release when it drops this summer). The developers are still fine-tuning it on Steam constantly, with new balance patches and fixes on a ?regular basis.

Awesomenauts [Steam]

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Looks like I'm coming out of retirement

In detailing some of what's in store for Awesomenauts' upcoming patch 2.6, Ronimo Games announced that it's finally preparing another map: AI Station 205. That's not to be confused with the existing AI Station 404, which is similar "but also contains some ?fundamental changes."

The patch will also add "some of the best and most fun" community-made bots to Awesomenauts, as well as a more in-depth profile screen, better replays, and a cool-sounding AI Editor update which "will make it possible?? ??for modders to create, for example, a defense mode where three players need to defend against waves of enemies."

I've stopped playing the game in?? recent months (it's one of the few that causes me to get overly competitive) but this -- this sounds like reason enough to return.

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To bring it more inline with the PC version, but not full parity

If you've been patiently waiting for the PS4 version of Awesomenauts to actually get inline with the PC edition, your waiting has partially paid off. Ronimo has announced that the first major patch has dropped today, which includes characters Ted McPain as well as Penny Fox, custom games, and various other bug fixes.

The sad news is that Sentry and Skree are still nowhere to be found, and considering that it took months before Ted and Penny?? reached the PS4 version, it's up in the air as to when those two will drop. Also, with the Xbox One version coming soon, I don't know what both timetables are going to be like.

On the bright side ?though outside of feature parity issues, the PS4 port ?is very, very well done.

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He's a 'Technoshaman'

Ever since Skree was announced earlier this year for Awesomenauts, I've wanted to play him. With his cool looking hover-board and Predator-like design, he always looked like a ton of fun to play. Well now you can give him a shot, so long as you have the Starstorm expansion installed.

He'll have a lightning rod at his disposal?? for his core attack, as well as saw blades and a magical totem. His primary attack is a chain lightning of sorts, the saw blade can hit multiple enemies as well, and the totem blocks off escape routes.

All in all he seems like a pretty technical character, so I can't wait to try him out. In addition to Skree, there's also an AI Editor update, as well as general re-balancing. Here's what's left for Starstorm -- a?n online spectator mode, a new ma??p, global chat, and another fifth expansion character.

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More Starstorm content released on PC

It seems we only just got Penny Fox in Awesomenauts: Starstorm and now Ronimo is back with its 18th character to date, Sentry X-58. He has a risky ability that launches a black hole, dealing back damage he's taken during a short window of o??pportunity. That plus a teleport ability usable after not taking damage for two seconds should be a devastating combo.

Also in this update, you'll find a long-awaited feature: replays. Accessible from the main menu, replays are saved automatically and represent Ronimo's? initial work toward a full spectator mode.

I'm not one to buy character skins, but X-58's alternate appearance looks so cool. I played a round with him and, in the right hands, he's going to be deadly. But that's normally the way with character rollouts -- start 'em off overpowered and make tweaks?? ??from there.

Starstorm Report #3?4: Sentry Phones Home,?? Joins the Awesomenauts [Kickstarter]

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Go try her out if you love fast characters

It's insane how much Awesomenauts has c??hanged over the years. I remember picking it up on the PS3 and wondering when any new characters were going to come, and given the update issues developer Ronimo had, they never did. It would have been a sting to buy the ??PC version if it wasn't on sale every other month, and the massive amount of updates and characters weren't free.

But alas, Awesomenauts was an easy sell once the support starting rolling in, and two years later the game is still trucking with its modest Starstorm expansion. The latest update is Penny Fox, who ??brings the game another much needed assassin. 

Awesomenauts: Penny Fox (PC)
Developer: Ronimo Games
Publisher: Ronimo Games
Release: April 10, 2014 (with Starstorm early access)

Penny Fox is billed as an assassination character with a heavy amo??unt of punishing potential, and i??t shows (since Leon is my favorite 'Naut, I felt right at home). She starts off with the power to use melee attacks with her claw which is harmless enough, but after grabbing a few upgrades and core abilities she's a force to be reckoned with. 

For starters, she has a straight-up dash attac?k called "Pounce," which lets her spring forward with a powerful attack. Her other main special is "Energy Pulse," which is a shor?t range (initially) blast that's easy to aim, since it just effects the area right in front of her. As a passive ability, Penny can triple-jump right out of the gate.

On paper, that sounds pretty bland, right? Many characters (like Froggy G) already have a dash move or a frontal cone, so what makes her so special? Well, once you start building her out things get a lot more interesting. Penny has a core power that lets her "stock" charges after attacking enemies. You can store up to four, and it directly influences all of her powers ??-- including her melee attack.

For instance, you can build Penny so that after storing a certain amount of charges, she runs faster, does mor??e base damage, or even uses a ranged attack instead of her typical melee swipe. You can also build each individual ability to your liking, an?d after gathering charges, unleash a massive amount of burst damage on enemies.

What I like about this setup is that it keeps you active at all times, hunting down people (or mobs, and even healing mobs) to constantly refill your meter. Sometimes you'll want to conserve it to chase after someone, lay down a few swipes to knock off some of their health, and then blow your whole meter for a powered-up ability. It takes a short while to ramp up to that point, but once you do, she becomes a highly customizable character. Heck, she can even quadruple jump with the ??right item.

My only proble??m with Penny is that ae??sthetically, there's not a whole lot to her, and she isn't all that exciting characteristically. She only has one significant augmentation (her claw hand), but beyond that she looks like an anthropomorphic version of Raelynn, even down to the suit design. Her two costumes consist of a hit and a miss as well -- a droll cheerleader outfit coupled with a pretty nifty "Man with No Name/Clint Eastwood" homage. It doesn't help that her voicework is fairly vanilla.

Mechanics-wise at least, Penny Fox is unique and balanced addition to the Awesomenauts&n??bsp;meta. I??'m really enjoying her foray into the game, and I'm interested in seeing where Ronimo takes her in the future.

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An all-around more polished game

Ronimo has rolled out its Secrets of Space update for Awesomenauts today on Steam and it's time to give the multiplayer game another look. The patch will be available on PlayStation 4 at a later date -- "we'll do our best to make it as soon as possible," says the studio -- but those players should at least look over what's in store. There's a lot to take in.

Beyond the new Starstorm character Penny Fox, who has quickly become one of my favorites thanks to her engaging play style, there are loads of polish improvements and all 16 prior 'nauts have undergone balance changes. Visual effects are noticeably better in spots, and I love that it's now clear how much solar you're picking up with numbered pop-ups. See the full notes here.

Had I ever stopped playing Awesomenauts, now would be a terrific time to get back in.

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'The Foxy 'Naut'

Romino is still trucking with their Awesomenauts Starstorm update, and we have a number of characters and a new level to drop still. Ted McPain was the last addition back in December, but today, the develope?r has announced the "Foxy 'Naut" -- with her name to be revealed la??ter down the line. If you're an Iron Tier backer, you can try her in the beta now.

They expect her to be fully live in a few weeks after her beta ends, and she'll arrive with Update 2.3, which also includes balance work on upgrades and abilities, as well as one extra addition designed to prohibit cheating. In the past, some players would quit a losing game only to come back as a different character and counter-pick. After this update, you can only play as? the same character throughout -- nice!

Starstorm Report #32 [Kickstarter]

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An American hero

In case you haven't heard, Awesomenauts is launching its Starstorm expansion, which is bringing all new content to the game in 2014. As the game's first official meaty piece of DLC, the update will contain five new characters, more music, a new stage, replays, and a spectator mode. You can get a full look at what's planned in the official roadmap.

Right now the first character, Ted McPain is available, as well as a new song, and team deathmatch mode. If Ted is any indication, Starstorm is going to be one awesome ride.

Awesomenauts: Ted McPain (PC)
Developer: Ronimo Games
Publisher: Ronimo Games
Release: December 12, 2013 (with Starstorm early access)

Ted McPain earns the immediate distinction of being one of the only three humans in the game, as well as the only African American addition to the cast -- oh, and he also doesn't wear pants. Right off the bat Ted stands out, and is not the "generic space marine" model he appears to be at first glance (especially if you rock his Party Boy skin) -- though he does have a 40K/StarCraft space marine outfit.

In such a goofy game it would stand to reason that a semi-serious character wouldn't really fit in, but after testing him out I'm ??pleased to say he feels like a true member of the crew. He somehow manages to pull off silly and serious in the same sentence, with a persona that's dedicated to excellence, but with a touch of screwball to it -- again, he's not wearing any pants, here.

It helps that Ted is super fun to play as, and although he has undergone many fixes from his over-powered beta test state (even earning him the nickname Ted McOPain), he feels a lot more balanced in the live environment. His basic gimmi?ck is that he can switch between a machine gun and a shotgun at any given moment -- and while the former has infinite bullets, the shotgun has to?? be "reloaded" before you can fire it.

Basically what this means is that you need to have the shotgun "active" and unused to slowly restock your bullet count to the maximum of five. So while the shotty is your clear-cut superior gun fo?r dealing with both creeps and enemy players, you need to micro-manage it correctly to really come out on top. It's extremely powerful for sure, but only the best players will be able to really use it effectively, and it's fun to learn how to strike this balance.

As each weapon is "active" and out, Ted's secondary ability will change. With the machine gun he can "paint" an area of the map for an orbital strike, and with the shotty he can use a stimpack power-up, not unlike Terran Marines from StarCraft. Both abilities are fairly difficult to use?, but can be extremely powerful if done right. The orbital strike is best used on lower ground, as it can raise up and hit enemies at a higher elevation; you can also paint a target right at a corner of an enemy turret, so when the creeps clash right at the base, the beam will hit the creeps 100% of the time.

The stimpack has to be used at the right moment -- usually before going into a teamfight. It knocks some life off Ted, but it also strengthens his power, and with the right mods, he can regenerate health or increase his movement speed. With the latter mod this is one of the only ways Ted can increase his maneuverability, because by god he is slow. Even with the speed boot upgrade he's painfully limited in how he can get around, as he only has a medium-height single jump and no real escapes to speak of. It helps keep him humble in that sense, as the right players c?an run circles around him if they play their cards right and avoid a shotg?un blast to the face.

My favorite add-ons for Ted in the shop are the ability to shoot grenades from your shotgun (which stay on the map for around 20 seconds), and drop a health pack from an orbital strike. Both powers add a ton of variety to Ted, as he's able to not only drop health for himself,? but his teammates, and even friendly creeps. The grenade power gives him more ranged capabilities, as well as the chance to set up traps like Yuri. The beauty of Ted is that he gets more interesting the more you play him, and his replay value extends with every upgrade you try out.

Ted is a welcome addition to the Awesomenauts cast, and I'll be playing him for quite a while. It's hard to believe the game is still going strong after such a smash hit of a Kickstarter, but here we are, waiting for four more characters and a heap of extra content next year. If you haven't picked up Awesomenauts yet, make sure you grab it during a sale and at ?least g??ive it a try -- it has an excellent community behind it, and the PC version of the game will be well supported for at least a year.

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Still waiting on approval from Sony

Ronimo Games has confirmed to Destructoid that the chances of the PlayStation 4 release of Awesomenauts ??are "slim to none" in 2013. According to the devel?oper, the studio handling the PS4 port, Abstraction Games, has submitted the game to Sony "several times," and is still waiting for approval.

This situation is happening right alongside of the PC launch of the Starstorm expansion, which is going quite well, and is actually ahead of schedule. Hopefully whatever issues Sony has with the game can be smoothed over sooner t?han later.

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At least, the first round of content is

After a mega-successful campaign, Awesomenauts' Starstorm expansion is nearly upon us, and the initial bit of content could hit as early as this week. If all goes according to plan,? Ted McPain, the first add-on character, will drop thi??s Thursday. If you've been playing the beta you've already seen him in action.

Keys for Starstorm will be sent out this wee?k, s??o check your email before Thursday if you want to get in on the action at launch. Everyone will also be getting surveys soon (the good kind), asking you for your t-shirt size, and all of the other info for backer rewards. I'm pretty stoked for the new content, and I hope it breaths new life into the game.

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Recognize the new name?

Awesomenauts for the PS4 now has a brand new moniker -- Awesomenauts: Assemble, and it'll have all of the content of the PC version, as well as all future Starstorm expansion content. Ronimo was originally aiming for a PlayStation 4 launch date, but if you noticed that list of confirmed launch games yesterday, they weren't on it.

They're still putting the finishing touches to aim for a launch, but it's not 100% yet, so it may end up a "launch window" situation. In other news, PC players can now test out the first bit of Starstorm content, including custom games and a team deathmatch mode. After a trial period these features (along with the new characters, level, and other extras) will be sold as part of the Starstorm ?packa??ge, the pricing of which hasn't been revealed.

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Expect keys in your inbox soon

Now that the Awesomenauts Starstorm Kickstarter has concluded, digital rewards have started shipping out, and a few of them should even be in your inboxes in the next 24 hours. Specifically, keys for wallpapers, Swords & Soldiers (plus its expansion), Awesomenauts vanilla, soundtrack, and costume party pack DLC 1+2 are ?on the way.

Expect updates on everything else, including all the new characters, the new stage and all of the stretch goal content in the next month or so. Also, the PS4 version is scheduled to launch with the console, so there's a ton of great news coming up for Awesomenauts fans. As for me, I'm still loving Swiggins.

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And get Voltar as a narrator

Awesomenauts: Starstorm is one of the few Kickstarters I've backed. It's no secret that I'm a fan of the core game, and I'm hardly the only one on staff, either, but it's something I feel compelled to share. The campaign is still going strong and there are a few noteworthy updates to tell you about. First, for you non-players: Awesomenauts will be freely playable on Steam this week.

Do check it out, as the community is still active on PC. If you like what you play, the game is down to a mere $3.39 to own forever. The free promotion lasts through Sunday afternoon, so there's plenty of time to make up your mind. Character skins are also discounted if you've been holding out -- I might have to final?ly cave after resisting for so long.

Going back to Starstorm, Ronimo Games has introduced a new benefit for backers who contribute $50 or more: Voltar as? a narrator. The best part about this is that he'll say "An enemy has been killed" instead of the vanilla narrator's "A enemy has been killed." I don't know if that's worth the fifty bucks to me, but I can see it being a tempting offer for some of you.

Star??storm Report #7: Announcer Announcement, Free Week, Awesomeness [Kickstarter]

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He even has a Dr. Fetus Meat Boy skin!

[Update: I've ??since played a few matches with Swiggins, and I have to say, he's incredibly fun. Behind Leon, I think he's currently my second favorite character, as he has a ton of potential, a good amount of variety in his skillset, and he's invaluable in teamfights with his anchor ability.]

I gave you a taste of what was to come with Awesomenauts recently, and part of that involved the brand new 'naut Admiral Swiggins. As of today he's out of the testing pan and into the fire, and you can simply download your PC update and play as him for fr??ee. Currently he's only available after you level up once, but as always, that limitation is waived if you buy a skin.

If you're so inclined, you can pick up the Admiral Swiggins PHD (Super Meat Boy) or the Abyssal Swiggins skins. I haven't had a chance to play as him yet, but I've played against him, and he seems really fun. His anchor ability is pretty br?utal, as it allows him to root 'nauts for quite a while, but he doesn't seem to do a ton of damage, so right now he seems pretty balanced. We'll see how the meta is in a week, but for now I'm enjoying his inclusion.

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Three new characters and more are guaranteed

Awesomenauts is still chugging, and based on the results of its latest Kickstarter for the Starstorm expansion, it's going to keep chugging for quite some time. In just seven days, Ronimo has reached its goal of $125,000, which nets players three new characters, twin-stick support, n??ew music, and a spectator mode.

Work on the currently funded content will begin right away Ronimo says, as it preps to meet the next goal of $200,000, which includes a new map and additional music. The stretch goals keep going and going, so it'll be interesting to see where they end up! Either way, I'm already ready for Starstorm.

Awesomenauts [Kickstarter]

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Talking to Ronimo about its plans for the PS4 and beyond

It's common knowledge that it's tough to be an indie studio -- especially if you're running a competitive online multiplayer title. Despite the fact that your game may have across-the-board rave reviews, maintaining a community, constantly developing new content, and figuring out ways to monetize is incredibly hard. Ronimo Games is going through that with Awesomenauts right now.

To help Ronimo stay independent, they've launched a Kickstarter that at the time of this writing is doing quite well, nearly breaking $100,000 in just a few days. But the studio has a lot of work to do starting with the PlayStation 4 version of their gam??e -- a version that's now launching with the console, by the way!

Despite some unfortunate issues with the PS3 and 360 versions of the game, Ronimo has been taking fan feedback very seriously with the development of the PC version. As for Starstorm, Ronimo is already listening to fans e??ven before the Kickstarter is finished.

For instance, some gamers who already owned the core game were pretty vocal about not being rewarded enough in the original Kickstarter -- so Ronimo added additional rewards to the lower levels, including the Starstorm DLC as a base, then the choice between Awesomenauts proper, and e??ither the first or second costume packs.

I spoke to Ronimo's Jasper Koning about the Kickstarter, who said that the campaign itself was a "great way to stay independent without having to resort to an investor." Koning also had great things to say about the crowdfunding platfor?m, stating that, "more than 20% of pledges are found internally from Kickstarter itself, so they've been a big help."

He also mentioned that the platform allows them to engage fans on a bigger p?lane, which is also a big concern. If all goes well -- and it looks like it will -- I asked if there could be a follow-up Kickstarter somewhere down the line, which Koning said could very well happen if the fan reaction is positive.

Koning says that as soon as the Kickstarter is met, development will start, and right now, it will go something like this: one new character from the planned trio of Starstorm will launch by itself -- as early as a month after the goal -- then another character, then the new stage, then the final charac?ter, and anything else that follows.

Ronimo hasn't figured out how they're going to charge for the new content for non-backers, but they are sure right now that backers will get all of the planned content, and others will have to pay for it. They're tinkering with the concept of letting people test drive the content, but you will still be able to play with everyone else so it doesn't segment the userbase at all. Since the content is wave-based, over time it will grow into the Starstorm expansion.

Other tweaks are being made before Starstorm to help make the game be????tter sooner than later, and are on course to hit before the Kickstarter is finished. For one, the much-publicized removal of the rematch button is coming, to encourage full games from start to finish.

There's also going to be an extra cooldown on the exit g?ame option, which is currently instantaneous. Koning says this allows players to "cool off" before they decide to instantly rage quit, and encourage people to constantly stay in the action rather than quit during a respawn or directly after a death.

When I asked about adding new game modes, or perhaps a 2v2 element, Koning responded that the core game "will always be 3v3 at this time." He added that by adding new mo??des, it would segment matchmaking. Specifically, ton??s of modes lower the chances of finding a suitable opponent.

When he broke it down, he postulated that one-third of ??the total pool of players is already reduced due to your area , then another third due to low ping or a weaker connecti?on, then further reduced due to skill level. So to keep the pool high, one official 3v3 mode is key, but if a certain Kickstarter goal is met, you will be able to create your own lavishly unique custom games.

Yet another major pre-Starstorm update is?? the character Admiral Swiggins (pictured above) who was created from two community contests, due to arrive next week in the Steam version of the game for free. Swiggins can pull ?himself towards enemies (basically the opposite of Leon's tongue), and root enemies to the ground with his anchor. Expect some thoughts on him in the future.

But what about that wee little announcement that happened recently? You know, that one about the other platform? That one next-gen platform that loves indies? Oh yeah, the PS4 version! Well Ro?nimo is already planning for that in conjunction with Abstraction Games, and surprise -- it's going to launch with the ??system.

Koning told me that they're already hard at work getting everything ready, and that depending on how well they do with the Kickstarter, the PS4 version may even launch with the first Starstorm character -- and if not, there won't be nearly as much of a delay as the 360 and PS3 versions had. Since Sony removed the costs for patching, this version will be much easier to ?deal with than the current generation. Koning stated that while there would be a, "testing period that will be longer than Steam's basically instant process," the team would get them out as soon as possible.

As for the details on the game itself, he told me that ??it would mostly be a port, but the framerate will be high, and visually it will be similar to the highest PC graphical setting. One cool feature in particular that he mentioned for the PS4 version was the streaming video and share mechanic, which will keep track of the coolest moments of a match, automatically for every round. From that you can compile a ?highlight reel out of PS4 capture video, and it keeps the best parts for you. "Who wants to go through all the boring parts to find the good ones?" asked Koning.

Although the PC version of Awesomenauts will be getting twin-stick controls (which allow for movement and aiming separately), this change was actually spurred by the PS4 version. I prodded about the possibility of the game on the Xbox One due to the recent announcement of Microsoft's indie program, but I didn'?t get much of an answer at this time.

"Xbox One could be a possibility. We'll see how open they really are," Koning said. He followed that up by stating, "We're focused on the PS4 ??version first, because of how open they were from the get-go."

Stay tuned for everything Awesomenauts-related at Destructoid in the coming months, ?including previews of upcomin??g betas, new content, news, and everything in-between!

The post The futu??re of Awesomenauts is looking prett??y awesome appeared first on Destructoid.

The Starstorm expansion will also add a new map and extras

If you want more Awesomenauts you're in luck, as Ronimo Games has just launched a $125,000 goal Kickstarter for a full-on expansion to the game.  Set to debut in the add-on pack titled Awesomenauts: Starstorm are three ne?w characters (Ted McPain, Sentry X-58, and Skree), a new stage, spectator mode, global chat, twin-stick controller support, and new music. There are extra stretch goals, including another map, more music, custom games, more characters, and more.

This is ticking all the right boxes with me. The new characters look really awesome (I really want to try Skree as a Leon/stealth fan), and since the game is coming to the PS4 (confirmed with "most features" in Starstorm in tow), the future is looking really bright for Awesomenauts. Right now, these fea??tures are only confirmed for the PC and PS4 versions of the game, and they're likely to stay that way??.

Awesomenauts: Starstorm [Kickstarter]

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With all the PC fixins, too

When the PS4 drops eventually, you'll have one more game to play on it -- Awesomenauts. Ronimo Games ?has just announced that Abstraction Games is handl??ing the new version, as they are sticking to publishing duties. Another announcement is "possibly" coming next week.

If you're still salty from the lack of updates on the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions don't worry -- Ronimo says that all of the PC content will be included so far in the P??S4 game, including the ability to purchase skins. Ronimo has also stated that they intend to keep this versio??n consistently updated if this version is successful enough.

While I can't say I'm super excited to play the game on the PS4 in particular, this is great news, because it at the very least confirms the continued support for Awesomenauts in general.

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This game keeps on chugging with skins and patches

If you haven't played Awesomenauts in a while, you'll find that a hefty update has been added to the game that most notably debuts the new Gnabot skin for Gnaw. Of course, this is only for the PC, Mac, and most recently, Linux versions. In other news, Ronimo has also patched Awesomenauts, mostly fixing a number of bugs, with a few re-works as well. For instance, Clunk has been nerfed a bit, and Voltar has been buffed? in a few ways.

I have to give it to Ronimo -- it's been over a ye?ar since the console release, and they're still supporting the PC g?ame with the occasional balance patch and piece of content. As for my wishlist, I feel like the roster is pretty bulky at this point, so some new modes, levels, and possibly support for four players would be great.

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