Phoenix Labs confirmed last night at The Game Awards 2018 that it is bringing its free-to-play online action RPG Dauntless to Switch next year.

Inspired by the likes of Monster Hunter, Dark Souls and World of Warcraft, Dauntless sees players assuming the role of 'Slayers' who are tasked with hunting and killing monsters known as 'Behemoths'.

Loot gained during each quest can be used to craft new gear or upgrade your existing load-out, and hunts – which can be played either solo or with up to four people – can take a considerable amount of time to complete. And yes, you're right, it does sound an awful lot like Monster Hunter.

Despite its free-to-play approach, Dauntless is not a pay-to-win release; purchases made in-game are either cosmetic or only have a short-term effect. The visual style, as you can see from the trailer above, feels a lot like Fortnite's cartoon-like look, which should do the game no harm in the eyes of the millions of people who already play and enjoy Epic's world-beating online title.

Phoenix Labs – which has former Riot Games, BioWare, Blizzard Entertainment and Capcom staffers in its ranks – originally intended the game to be exclusive to computers but has confirmed that it will also be coming to the PS4, Xbox One, Switch and smart devices. While Sony and Microsoft fans will get their hands on the game in April, Switch players will have to wait a little longer, with no solid date in 2019 being offered as yet. As part of Phoenix Labs' 'One Dauntless' initiative, cross-platform play will be enabled.

Let us know if this is a title you'll be keeping an eye on by posting a comment below.

[source uk.ign.com]