Bleeding Edge, Ninja Theory’s multiplayer melee action game, began life as a MOBA, complete with genre staples like towers and minions for players to control. Creative director Rahni Tucker revealed this interesting fact in a new Q&A. However, being a very action-heavy game, the team realised it’s going to be hard for players to focus on the action while managing the strategy element of controlling minions and so on. Third-person action is Ninja Theory’s core competency, after all, so the team decided to instead refine those elements of the game. Tucker also revealed that the parry mechanic is a recent addition, which should make for more satisfying battles.

Bleeding Edge’s closed beta kicks off next week for Game Pass members, and those who pre-ordered the game. The game launches on PC and Xbox One on March 24.