The numbers for Hearthstone are declining. Blizzard is now asking players: Why are you no longer enjoying Hearthstone?
The financial report from Activision Blizzard confirmed what many Hearthstone players had already feared. Although Blizzard’s card game remains the genre leader on the market, the numbers are declining. Fewer and fewer players are spending money on Hearthstone, and playtime is steadily decreasing. They want to change that now.
Blizzard is asking for help: Dean Ayala, one of the lead designers of Hearthstone, directly asked players on Twitter:
“If Hearthstone was once your main game, but it’s not anymore – what would bring you back?”
What for some looks like a confused cry for help, many players took as an opportunity to provide constructive feedback and express their opinions.
New game modes desired: Many players simply long for new game modes that bring more variety to Hearthstone and ensure that the current meta does not settle for 3-4 months.
A few suggested modes and innovations were:
- Speed Arena: Each player only has a few seconds for their turn (like a permanent Nozdormu effect).
- Rotating Card Sets: Many players long for a game mode where different card sets rotate regularly. For example, cards from Karazhan or the Blackrock Mountain could return for a while while cards from “Un’Goro” could be rotated out. This way, players would be forced to develop new decks and strategies every month.
- Tournament Mode: The once announced (and now canceled) tournament mode is still desired. Many fans say that this game mode alone would bring them back.
- Achievements: Many players miss clear goals in Hearthstone and wish for an achievement system that could possibly include cosmetic upgrades, such as alternative designs for cards.
Particularly Ben Brode is missed: Numerous responses are also sprinkled with humor, asking “Can you rap?” or just linking a photo of Ben Brode, the former game director of Hearthstone. Brode now works for a completely different company. That Brode was an essential part of Hearthstone’s success has been addressed in this article already:
Are you still actively playing Hearthstone? Are you still spending money on Hearthstone? Or have you left the card game behind?
