The dedicated Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas once again played host to the SMITE World Championships in 2024, bringing to a close its tenth annual competition. The aptly named X Season saw the very best in the god-slaying business battle it out for a chance to be crowned champs and take home almost half a million dollars in prize money.
During a packed event that saw the infamous SMITE Cosplay Show return, and where developer Titan Forge announced a full sequel on the horizon in SMITE 2, the world's best players fought it out over several games before the winners claimed victory.
It was the Jade Dragons who beat out the rest of the teams to stake their claim as SMITE World Champions in 2024's X Season, managing to secure the W in five frenetic games.
Atlanta's Jade Dragons managed to secure two early wins in the first couple of games, but opponents Oni Warriors managed to secure another round of play when they came out on top during the third game. It was a close call, because the Oni Warriors managed to tie it up after winning the fourth game, so it was all to play for.
Fans were surprised that the Dragons allowed the Warriors to bring it back so close, with many fans questioning their god picks. Maman seemed to be a detriment to the Dragons, thanks to her inability to disengage. But fortune favours the bold, and thanks to some equally questionable picks on the Warrior's side in the form of some less-than-ideal Ymir walls, the Jade Dragons clinched the win in game five and emerged as SMITE World Champions.
Last season's championships were quite a different vibe for the Jade Dragons, who actually lost out to their 2024 opponents, Oni Warriors, to place third last year. So retribution was due, and with a new roster featuring the likes of new fan favourite Nika and the last original member, American support player PolarBearMike, a fresh set of faces seems to have worked wonders for the Atlanta-based team.
With X Season of the SMITE Worlds having now come to a close, the deity-battling game turns its attention to its "true" sequel, SMITE 2. We had a chat with developer Titan Forge Games to get the lowdown on the newest iteration of the BAFTA-award-winning moba.