Dear BlackShot Community,

As BlackShot surpasses an astonishing 10 years of service, we’d like to thank all of you for sticking with us for so long. It is a rare feat for a Free-to-Play game, let alone a Free-to-Play FPS, to endure for such an enormous amount of time. Truly, you guys are some of the most loyal players in the gaming community and we are humbled by your support.

With that said, it has become clear to us that after 10 years, BlackShot has become too imbalanced to stay viable in today’s increasingly competitive market. You see, it’s important that BlackShot continues to attract new players while staying loyal to its current ones, and to do that, the system must be overhauled to restore balance and fairness.

So, we embarked on a long campaign to figure out what we could do to ensure that BlackShot continues to be an FPS powerhouse for years to come. We consulted with our players through feedback forms (Thoughts 4 Rewards), we talked to our GMs, all of whom are lifelong BlackShot players, and we looked at the hard data. After much work, the team came up with the following solutions:

CURRENCY OVERHAUL

Bounty Points (BP) have been greatly devalued over the past decade and winning matches lacks the same kick as before because of the overabundance of BP in player accounts.

Because of this, we’ve decided to replace BP with a new currency: Gold. Gold can be acquired in-game, such as playing matches, and is used to purchase all Shop Items and perform other critical in-game functions.

Because of this, all your BP, BP items, Gear and other Storage Items will be converted to Gold. You can then use the Gold to re-acquire your weapons and items.

Additionally, BC will be replaced with a new premium currency: Gems. Your BC and BC Items will be converted to Gems. Gems have two simple uses: To acquire cosmetic/character customization items, and purchase Goldboxes.

In short, Gold is used to purchase all Shop weapons and items, Gems are used to purchase customization items and Goldboxes.

TOTAL WEAPON REBALANCE

Over the years, the weapon balance in BlackShot has been heavily skewed towards overpowered cash weapons. In BlackShot Revolution, ALL weapons, even Goldbox weapons, will be rebalanced so that every weapon has its proper place in the game. No more pay to win!

Here’s an example of how weapons will be rebalanced:

Currently, the AK-47 Black, a cash weapon, is superior to the AK-47, a BP weapon. In BlackShot Revolution, both weapons will be purchasable with Gold. The differences between weapon variants are primarily cosmetic; they have the same recoil, accuracy, and damage.

Additionally, you no longer have to rent weapons for 3, 7 or however many days, because weapons are now PERMANENT. Instead, weapon degradation will be introduced. As you fight in battle after battle, your weapons will need to be maintained using Gold to stay in working condition.Weapon degradation does not affect weapon stats.

Because of this massive overhaul, all weapons in your Storage will be cleared out and converted to Gold. Use the Gold to re-acquire the newly balanced weapons to suit your playstyle once BlackShot Revolution launches.

STREAMLINED LEVELING

The third major update in Revolution involves your character level. We realized there were two issues that needed to be addressed: 1: How to simplify the leveling system to be less confusing, and 2: What to do about player levels once Revolution changes many fundamental aspects of BlackShot.

The solution is to remove the confusing and inappropriate rank names like Major Black, 4 Stars Red and so on. Instead, Revolution will use a simple numerical ranking system. Every player will now begin at Level 1 and work their way upwards from there.

Many of you, including our GMs, have worked hard for your ranks. Your existing rank in BlackShot will be appropriately compensated (details coming soon) based on your accumulated playtime relative to your current rank.

Additionally, Weapon Masteries will be no more in Revolution. Your existing Weapon Masteries will be recorded and logged in the upcoming BlackShot Hall of Fame for everyone to see forever and ever. For good measure, we recommend you take lots of screenshots of your Weapon Masteries to preserve your glorious memories.

CONCLUSION

BlackShot Revolution will launch on JULY 25, 2018, upon which all the changes mentioned above will commence. If these changes sound dramatic, keep in mind that Revolution is designed with one goal in mind: To bring balance to BlackShot and create an environment in which only your skill matters in achieving total domination.

More details will be revealed as they come; in the meantime, let us know on Discord, Forums or Facebook Private Message what you think of this news and any questions you might have. Don’t worry; we’ve got your back every step of the way.

So get ready to reload and recalibrate as we light the fires for a Revolution!

-Team BlackShot SEA