Torchlight Frontier is now known as Torchlight III

A surprising change was made recently as Torchlight Frontiers is now known as Torchlight III as announced by publisher Perfect World Entertainment and developer Echtra Games. The game will be coming for PC via Steam as a true successor this coming summer 2020 with a closed alpha on January 29.

“When we started developing Torchlight Frontiers, we were focused on creating a shared-world experience- during development, you often discover what type of product a game was meant to be and we found Torchlight Frontiers was meant to be a true successor to Torchlight I & II. Based on this and extensive feedback from our Alpha testers, we decided it was time to take the game back to its roots and model it after the classic Torchlight games that ARPG fans have come to love. We’d like to thank our dedicated player base for supporting us and providing such insightful feedback during early development.”

-Echtra Games CEO Max Schaefer

Below is the official trailer provided by GameTrailers:

Changes heading your way via the official website:

Alongside these changes to the business model and distribution method, naturally, there are many other exciting changes coming to Torchlight III.

• The game now follows the classic Act structure from previous titles. Players start at the Imperial Outpost besieged by goblin hordes. They then follow the trail of nether corruption into lands overtaken by Hyvid and finally reach the [redacted] Peaks and they are cavernous under places ruled by the electrifying [redacted]
• Horizontal progression has been removed, so all Frontier-specific levels, gear stats, and scaling have been removed as well. We are returning our progression systems to better work in tandem with this.
• Most zones are now private by default to give a better play experience. Players can still meet each other in public town levels and form parties to play together in instanced combat zones.
• When creating your character, you can now select Online or Offline Mode. Characters made in Offline Mode do not require an internet connection to play, but will also not be able to participate in multiplayer games.
• We have removed the in-game real-money store.

While this is a huge sea change for Torchlight III, most of what our current players know about the game is still true:

• We will continue developing the game with constant feedback from our community through Closed Alpha (and soon Beta!) testing.
• We will continue releasing updates over the course of testing. Update 10 is coming Wednesday, January 29 at 10 am PT. and brings the complete refactor into linear Acts, a third Frontier area, a fourth playable class, and a whole bunch of other new features and content.
• We plan to release the game on PC in 2020 with a console release following shortly after.
• We will continue to support the game with ongoing content updates post-launch.
• The classes, game content, features and collectibles that have been shown in Closed Alpha will all stay in the game.

Notable game features:

TRAVEL THE FRONTIER– Explore the wild with your friends as you gather and craft loots, use magical maps to enter unknown dungeons, or show off your spoils in town!.

BUILD & UPGRADE YOUR FORT– It’s time to rebuild your very own fort where you can upgrade your gear, and renovate your fort to show off to your friends and the world. Build monuments of power, pet stables, and more!

ALL-NEW CLASSES- One of the hallmarks of the Torchlight series is its unique character classes and designs, and Torchlight III is no exception.

COLLECT EPIC GEAR– Whether it’s armour, weapons, dyes, recipes, ember cores, or even new pets…there’s always more to find as you battle through randomly generated dungeons and take on dangerous foes. Want even more epic gear? Take on a contract to earn Fame and unlock elite items.

BUILD YOUR HERO- With four classes to choose from, utilize class-specific mechanics to maximize your damage and your odds of survival. Gather epic gear and customize your outfit to work with your hero’s unique make-up.

Join your heroes this coming Summer 2020 for PC, followed up console versions at a later date.