<s>
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
(	O
formerly	O
Torchlight	B-Application
Frontiers	I-Application
)	O
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
the	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Torchlight	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
developed	O
by	O
American	O
studio	O
Echtra	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Perfect	O
World	O
Entertainment	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
October	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
is	O
a	O
dungeon	O
crawler	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
character	O
in	O
a	O
high	O
fantasy	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
an	O
isometric	O
,	O
top-down	O
view	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
their	O
character	O
to	O
move	O
about	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
world	O
,	O
using	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
with	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
weapons	O
,	O
magic	O
spells	O
,	O
and	O
skills	O
to	O
fight	O
monsters	O
,	O
collect	O
new	O
items	O
and	O
treasure	O
,	O
and	O
sell	O
and	O
buy	O
items	O
in	O
a	O
centralized	O
town	O
to	O
improve	O
their	O
character	O
's	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
as	O
Torchlight	B-Application
Frontiers	I-Application
,	O
had	O
been	O
a	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
game	O
,	O
introducing	O
large	O
surface	O
levels	O
that	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
join	O
together	O
to	O
fight	O
monsters	O
that	O
respawn	O
over	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
travel	O
between	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
primary	O
dungeons	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
which	O
are	O
procedurally	O
generated	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
change	O
to	O
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
expected	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
of	O
a	O
linear	O
approach	O
as	O
from	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
Torchlight	B-Application
games	O
,	O
but	O
will	O
still	O
support	O
both	O
offline	O
and	O
online	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Torchlight	B-Application
series	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Runic	O
Games	O
;	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
,	O
Torchlight	B-Application
,	O
was	O
a	O
single-player	O
only	O
game	O
released	O
in	O
2009	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
sequel	O
,	O
Torchlight	B-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
added	O
in	O
cooperative	O
play	O
between	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
)	O
six	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Runic	O
was	O
founded	O
by	O
several	O
video	O
game	O
industry	O
veterans	O
with	O
experience	O
from	O
dungeon	O
crawlers	O
like	O
Diablo	B-Application
,	O
Hellgate	B-Application
:	I-Application
London	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Fate	B-Application
,	O
many	O
of	O
whom	O
had	O
been	O
at	O
Flagship	O
Studios	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
its	O
closure	O
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flagship	O
had	O
been	O
developing	O
Mythos	B-Protocol
,	O
another	O
action	B-Application
RPG	I-Application
but	O
with	O
significant	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
(	O
MMO	O
)	O
components	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Runic	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
wanted	O
to	O
"	O
finish	O
what	O
they	O
started	O
"	O
with	O
Mythos	B-Protocol
,	O
but	O
to	O
redevelop	O
all	O
portions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
lore	O
,	O
and	O
art	O
for	O
this	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
only	O
fourteen	O
employees	O
to	O
start	O
,	O
Runic	O
decided	O
to	O
stay	O
closer	O
to	O
their	O
roots	O
and	O
develop	O
a	O
single-player	O
game	O
without	O
an	O
online	O
component	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
get	O
a	O
product	O
out	O
faster	O
and	O
then	O
build	O
upon	O
that	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
;	O
this	O
ultimately	O
became	O
Torchlight	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
of	O
Torchlight	B-Application
,	O
Runic	O
's	O
Max	O
Schaefer	O
asserted	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
first	O
step	O
toward	O
a	O
planned	O
Torchlight	B-Application
MMO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Torchlight	B-Application
II	I-Application
represented	O
a	O
partial	O
step	O
toward	O
the	O
MMO	O
,	O
giving	O
them	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
expand	O
and	O
test	O
multiplayer	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
Torchlight	B-Application
IIs	I-Application
development	O
,	O
Perfect	O
World	O
Entertainment	O
invested	O
into	O
Runic	O
Games	O
,	O
gaining	O
a	O
majority	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
investment	O
was	O
targeted	O
toward	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Torchlight	B-Application
MMO	O
that	O
the	O
studio	O
has	O
previously	O
presented	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2014	O
,	O
studio	O
co-founders	O
Travis	O
Baldree	O
and	O
Erich	O
Schaefer	O
left	O
Runic	O
Games	O
,	O
ultimately	O
forming	O
Double	O
Damage	O
Games	O
and	O
releasing	O
Rebel	B-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Co-founder	O
Max	O
Schaefer	O
(	O
Erich	O
's	O
brother	O
)	O
recognized	O
that	O
both	O
developers	O
were	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
critical	O
team	O
behind	O
Runic	O
's	O
development	O
,	O
and	O
with	O
their	O
departure	O
,	O
they	O
had	O
to	O
rethink	O
their	O
plans	O
for	O
the	O
Torchlight	B-Application
MMO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
required	O
them	O
to	O
shift	O
away	O
from	O
the	O
action	B-Application
RPG	I-Application
genre	O
into	O
a	O
new	O
type	O
of	O
game	O
,	O
ultimately	O
released	O
as	O
Hob	B-Application
,	O
a	O
puzzle-driven	O
adventure	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Schaefer	O
was	O
still	O
keen	O
on	O
the	O
Torchlight	B-Application
MMO	O
,	O
but	O
with	O
the	O
direction	O
the	O
studio	O
had	O
taken	O
with	O
Hob	B-Application
,	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
leave	O
Runic	O
games	O
along	O
with	O
additional	O
programmers	O
to	O
try	O
to	O
fulfill	O
this	O
vision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
founded	O
Echtra	O
Games	O
,	O
a	O
developer	O
under	O
Perfect	O
World	O
,	O
in	O
2016	O
,	O
hired	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
developers	O
with	O
background	O
in	O
the	O
action	B-Application
RPG	I-Application
area	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
get	O
the	O
rights	O
for	O
Torchlight	B-Application
through	O
Perfect	O
World	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
Perfect	O
World	O
closed	O
Runic	O
Games	O
in	O
November	O
2017	O
,	O
although	O
they	O
did	O
state	O
that	O
news	O
about	O
Torchlight	B-Application
would	O
be	O
made	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Torchlight	B-Application
Frontiers	I-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
on	O
August	O
9	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
and	O
early	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
were	O
available	O
to	O
play	O
at	O
the	O
2018	O
Gamescom	O
trade	O
show	O
and	O
PAX	O
West	O
later	O
that	O
month	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
anticipated	O
to	O
launch	O
on	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
first	O
,	O
with	O
releases	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
to	O
follow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2020	O
,	O
Echtra	O
and	O
Perfect	O
World	O
announced	O
that	O
Torchlight	B-Application
Frontiers	I-Application
had	O
been	O
rebranded	O
to	O
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
and	O
had	O
dropped	O
several	O
of	O
the	O
planned	O
MMO-like	O
aspects	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
a	O
more	O
linear	O
progression	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Schaefer	O
said	O
"	O
During	O
development	O
,	O
you	O
often	O
discover	O
what	O
type	O
of	O
product	O
a	O
game	O
was	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
and	O
we	O
found	O
Torchlight	B-Application
Frontiers	I-Application
was	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
true	O
successor	O
to	O
Torchlight	B-Application
I	O
and	O
II	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Based	O
on	O
this	O
and	O
extensive	O
feedback	O
from	O
our	O
Alpha	O
testers	O
,	O
we	O
decided	O
it	O
was	O
time	O
to	O
take	O
the	O
game	O
back	O
to	O
its	O
roots	O
and	O
model	O
it	O
after	O
the	O
classic	O
Torchlight	B-Application
games	O
that	O
action	B-Application
RPG	I-Application
fans	O
have	O
come	O
to	O
love.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
companies	O
affirmed	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
no	O
longer	O
be	O
free-to-play	O
but	O
would	O
instead	O
be	O
a	O
premium	O
title	O
,	O
with	O
plans	O
for	O
a	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
release	O
in	O
mid-2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
received	O
"	O
mixed	O
or	O
average	O
"	O
reviews	O
according	O
to	O
review	O
aggregator	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Destructoid	O
gave	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
six	O
out	O
of	O
ten	O
,	O
calling	O
its	O
campaign	O
"	O
forgettable	O
"	O
while	O
writing	O
,	O
"	O
If	O
you	O
’re	O
the	O
kind	O
of	O
player	O
who	O
got	O
deep	O
into	O
Torchlight	B-Application
II	I-Application
mods	O
or	O
spent	O
countless	O
hours	O
crafting	O
your	O
ideal	O
character	O
builds	O
,	O
you	O
’re	O
almost	O
certainly	O
going	O
to	O
feel	O
under-served	O
in	O
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamer	O
noted	O
that	O
Torchlight	B-Application
III	I-Application
was	O
technically	O
sound	O
,	O
but	O
called	O
the	O
dungeons	O
"	O
cookie	O
cutter	O
"	O
and	O
ultimately	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
what	O
was	O
missing	O
 [ was ] 	O
more	O
than	O
what	O
was	O
there	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
