How impactful was receiving the Epic MegaGrant to the plans for the game?
 
Singh:
We were surprised how many doors the MegaGrant opened for us and to have support from Epic made a significant impact on our business. When we initially received the MegaGrant, we had not raised any capital, nor were we working full-time, but the grant inspired us and provided the first step to building a more solid foundation for the studio.You later closed on a first round of funding for $2.2 million and announced a $20 million Series A this past June. How did that impact the game’s direction and development?
 
Singh:
Our first round of funding changed everything. We went from a small group working on the game in our spare time to a studio with actual resources. The entire team was able to quit their jobs and focus full-time on the game and we were also able to secure additional talent in all areas.

The seed funding also allowed us to flex our creative muscles, something we weren’t able to do when we had to be concerned about time and resources. I think it’s extremely important to be able to try new things and take some risks, for the benefit of our people and for the game.

Our Series A has taken us to the next level. We are now fully funded far beyond the release of Predecessor, which has allowed us to ramp up investment in the game and continue to build a world class team (we’re hiring! See here for open roles). We cannot wait to get our game in the hands of our community very soon.
 
How have your initial plans and the game changed from the original Paragon over time?

Singh: One of the differences between Predecessor and Paragon is that we use a traditional MOBA item shop, something all players coming from other MOBAs will find familiar. We also wanted to increase accessibility for newer players, who often find the choice of items overwhelming, so we introduced auto-buy, which purchases the best items for your hero so players can focus purely on the moment-to-moment gameplay.

Alongside the traditional item shop is a crest system which allows players at the start of the game to purchase a powerful item that upgrades throughout the game into a unique active effect, ranging from rewinding time to the formation of icy dueling zones. The crest system is completely new to any MOBA and during our most recent alphas, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from players.

Source: Unreal Engine Blog