Plans for EU/International Support

With Icons launching in Early Access in North America, we’re getting an understandable question from our international fans: “When can I play?”



The short answer is: we’ll see you in the arena in 2018.



For the long answer, read on.



The reason we’re launching in North America first is because that is the first region where we can promise the quality of online play that fighting fans demand. Early on, we made the unorthodox (for a team our size) decision to build our own netcode and backend, because that would allow us to create exactly what we needed while still being flexible enough to work with different platforms and regions. We believe this is one of the most important investments a competitive, online-focused platform fighter can make. It’s also complex and challenging, but focusing first on one region allows us to get the initial systems in place.



We’re tremendously proud of how those efforts paid off. Testers from Closed Beta cite the feel of the netcode as what they most like about Icons. With that foundation in place, Icons is ready to meet its first audience - but certainly not its last.



We intend to bring that experience global. Doing so requires additional work: we need to spin up the servers, get matchmaking working correctly across regions, and ensure we’re compliant with all local laws, just to name a few. It’s important to get all of this right.



All that said, we’re humbled to see such demand from players around the world to play, and we’re committed to making it happen. Given the current pace of work, we expect to roll out international servers in 2018, most likely starting with the EU. We don’t have an exact ETA yet, but once we do, we are excited to share it here.

