Killer Instinct Dev Reveals Breakaway, Watch First Competitive Gameplay Video

Amazon Game Studios has announced Breakaway, a competitive multiplayer game developed by Double Helix, the team behind season one of the Xbox One exclusive fighting game Killer Instinct. Breakaway is powered by Amazon Lumberyard and designed with livestreaming in mind. As such, it integrates directly with Twitch--an Amazon-owned streaming service.

Breakaway is described as a "mythological sport brawler built for fast action, teamwork, and livestreaming." In the game, players assemble a team "from an expanding roster of legendary warriors," which includes "the relentless gladiator Spartacus, the twisted sorceress Morgan Le Fay, and the bloodthirsty warlord Vlad the Impaler."

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"At the start of each round, warriors can summon persistent buildables onto the playing field that dynamically alter the game," it explains. "Buildables can besiege foes, shield teammates, or create new pathways through the arena. Players fight for dominance across fabled locations such as El Dorado, Atlantis, and Styx. They battle to control the Relic--the center of Breakaway’s action--passing it to teammates, defending it from attackers, and smashing it into an opponent’s base to score."

According to Amazon, Breakaway also introduces new ways for players/streamers to interact with a number of in-game features. Metastream, for example, allows for "real-time stat overlays" during broadcasts. Broadcaster Match Builder "lets broadcasters invite their followers to join matches," and Spotlight "tells players when they’re in a match that’s being broadcast, and lets them follow the broadcaster with a single click."

Finally, Steam+ "gives broadcasters new ways to interact with their viewers through polls, and by allowing viewers to wager loyalty points that are redeemable for in-game rewards." You can watch the first trailer for Breakaway and 10 minutes of gameplay below.

You can sign up to play the Breakaway alpha on the game's official website.

Amazon Game Studios is an internal division dedicated to video games. In June 2015, it teased a new game that would using the latest technology, including Twitch. Breakaway looks to be that game.

"Amazon is committed to gamers, and building great teams who are excited to use Twitch, the AWS cloud, and technical innovation to radically evolve gameplay," it said at the time. "We believe that games have just scratched the surface in their power to unite players and will produce some of the future’s most influential voices in media and art.

Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014 in a $1 billion deal. Double Helix was also acquired by Amazon in 2014 "as part of [Amazon's] ongoing commitment to build innovative games for customers."

Breakaway was announced at TwitchCon, along with two other games, which you can read about below. The descriptions were provided by Amazon.

• New World: A massively multiplayer, open-ended sandbox game that allows players to carve out their own destiny with other players in a living, cursed land. Players decide how to play, what to do, and whom to work with--or against--in an evolving world that transforms with seasons, weather, and time of day. Players can band together to reclaim monster-haunted wilds and build thriving civilizations, or strike out alone, surviving in the face of supernatural terrors and murderous player bandits. With emergent gameplay and rich social features, including deep Twitch integration with broadcaster-led events, achievements, and rewards, the only limit in the New World is a player’s ambition.
• Crucible: A battle to the last survivor on a hostile, alien world. Players choose and customize heroes, making alliances and betraying allies on their path to victory. An additional player heightens the drama by triggering events, live-streaming the battles, and interacting with viewers.