I know that it has a large player base, but is being
DOTA2-themed really a selling point?
Trying to sell a $20 game with predatory microtransactions to people playing a free game doesn't seem like the best idea, and as some with no interest in
DOTA2 it made me not want to play
Artifact.
I don't think the Valve hate is warranted though. Of course I'd like to see a new
Half-Life,
Left 4 Dead,
Portal, or new first-person game from them. I'm interested in
Valley of the Gods In the Valley of Gods but that's a Campo Santo game, not a Valve game.
Some people act like Valve doing anything else is a personal affront and think that anything negative which happens is somehow a positive step in the direction of forcing them to make the game that they want.
Out of all the complaints "This game that is a CCG monetizes like a CCG, how dare they" is the worst. Like complaining that a Racing game makes you drive.
Buying packs of random cards to play certain deck-building games has always been bullshit, and it's even worse when it's a digital game.
There should be a fixed pool of cards and expansions rather than card packs and trading. I'd much rather play a game which avoids all of that.