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Everything You Need To Know About Disney Speedstorm's Ranked Multiplayer Mode

With the cost of game development almost doubling every console generation, the big publishers out there are on DEFCON 1, trying to come up with secret plans for their next big hit. It doesn't need to be the mythical "Fortnite-killer," but it wouldn't hurt either. One tried, and true formula is the free-to-play online model Disney Speedstorm will eventually adopt. But that and 25 cents would get them a quarter if their Ranked Multiplayer doesn't have that dopamine-inducing feeling you get when you compete against other players.
Disney Speedstorm 25 photos
Photo: Gameloft
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Disney Speedstorm is Gameloft's "Mario Kart-killer" that's going live on April 18 as a paid Early Access build. Everything they've shown so far about the kart racer's gameplay mechanics honestly looks like it will give Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a 'run for its money.'

It's a figure of speech, don't take it literally, because the little Italian plumber and his merry band of driving misfits reign champion above all else, with over 52 million copies sold so far. As a comparison, other game devs start bursting out in tears of joy if they manage to move 500.000 units or one whole million... let alone 50+.

Now, they're not in direct competition, but quite the opposite in fact, given that Speedstorm will also be joining the Switch online store, along with every other hardcore gaming platform around, like the PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. No actual rivalry is necessary because as long as Speedstorm thrives, so will Nintendo by taking a bite out of that $$$ pie.

There's no word on a mobile release as of yet, but seeing as there are almost 7 billion smartphones out in the wild, it's highly unlikely Disney would miss the opportunity to put their baby project on that market as well.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Gameloft
As I was saying earlier, Speedstorm won't have a snowball's chance in hell if the overall experience isn't 'sticky' or rewarding. One way this could go belly up is if they implement the frowned-upon 'paywall,' where you can't progress anymore after a certain point until you cough up some cashola.

But judging from the FAQ section, it looks like that won't be the problem: "Disney Speedstorm will not feature any energy system and all content will be unlockable via gameplay. In addition, even if there will be some Time-limited events there always will be single-player and multiplayer modes accessible at all times."

A type of currency the game has is called Tokens, which will let you progress faster by unlocking new racers or upgrading them, but the good news is that you can also earn these during gameplay, so you don't need to buy them necessarily.

Let's just hope the frequency of the reward system doesn't favor heavy grinding like EA's Battlefront 2 did when it first came out. Remember how it made you work for 40 hours just to unlock one hero? Fun times...

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Gameloft
Single-player or not, people will probably spend most of their in-game time racing against real people in the online multiplayer section. Aside from the Regulated mode they recently introduced, thanks to beta testers, there is also the Ranked mode.

This is where the balancing act begins for Gameloft because, first and foremost, they need to offer a great gameplay experience for players, then make the reward system fun to go through and not seem like a chore, all the while keeping everything fair on both sides of the business model.

Another recent addition to the Ranked Multiplayer is the party system which allows you to invite one or two other people, which could mean all three of you can occupy the entire podium at the end of any race, God willing.

The "Score Points" system works by rewarding your racer based on what position you place after you've crossed the finish line. It goes without saying that you need to do your absolute best, as you will lose points if your performance isn't up to snuff. But this isn't anything new; we've seen it before in games like Starcraft, for example. Diamond, anyone?

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Gameloft
Each League has five ranks, and after that point, you skip on to the next one. You will have a hell of a time trying to level up each racer from the Rookie League all the way up to the Ultimate Champion League.

Keep in mind that if you're on a losing streak (God forbid), you will lose ranks but won't return to previous Leagues. Meaning once you hit Bronze with Mowgli from Rookie, you can't go back, no matter how bad of a Sunday driver you are.

You will have to drift, grind, and push your way through no less than 10 Ranked Leagues, and every time you get to a new one, you'll be greeted with cool new shiny stuff. If there is any 'paywall' resistance from the game, you won't find it rearing its ugly head anywhere else but here.

You can actually test this out by playing without paying a single dime and see where you get stuck, provided you're always performing extremely well. I did the same thing in Hearthstone and unsurprisingly uncovered that after a certain point, it was a simple matter of pay-to-win, and after that, I completely gave up on it.

Disney Speedstorm
Photo: Gameloft
Back to our regular program, there's one more news bulletin we need to tackle, and that's the matchmaking system. As a 3000+ hour Dota 2 player, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that no game can have a worse matchmaking system than Dota 2, so you should be safe with Speedstorm.

Here, it's all based on the Score Points system, which is basically your skill rating or MMR (matchmaking rating). In theory, you should always be matched against players around your same SP MMR, but always be prepared for frustrations, for alas... no system is perfect.

Now you should be totally up to snuff with everything rank related, which makes you pretty much good to go starting April 18, but do keep in mind that it is an Early Access, so don't expect any miracles.
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About the author: Codrin Spiridon
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Codrin just loves American classics, from the 1940s and ‘50s, all the way to the muscle cars of the '60s and '70s. In his perfect world, we'll still see Hudsons and Road Runners roaming the streets for years to come (even in EV form, if that's what it takes to keep the aesthetic alive).
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