In Hearthstone , developer Blizzard has changed several cards that were too sexy or too brutal. Fans suspect that they want to cater to the Chinese market and mock on Reddit. However, Blizzard itself states that the changes to the cards have other reasons.
Which cards were changed? A total of 8 cards in Hearthstone were changed. The changes only relate to the appearance of the card. The values remain untouched.
- 3 cards are no longer as “brutal” as before
- for one, the complete design was exchanged
- For 4 cards, women, female demons or mythical creatures, which were apparently too “sexy” before or hinted at BDSM practices, were made more modest: The Mistress of Pain no longer has a whip. The Succubus (with whip) was transformed into a demon dog instead (featured image)
This is what Blizzard says: In an interview with PC Gamer, Blizzard states that they regularly review the entire set of Hearthstone and some cards no longer meet today’s standards.
Blizzard says: “We would not print these cards today.”
It is said that they really wanted to tone down the depiction of sex and violence here, but that this decision was not due to “external influences,” but rather because of the standards they currently hold themselves.
Although there are no plans to change more cards, they are observing the situation and reassessing it.
How players react: On Reddit, the situation is seen entirely differently. They believe that the Chinese government is behind the change. They apparently suspect a “backroom deal” where Blizzard adjusts the cards to avoid trouble. After all, there are new stricter rules in China that aim to reduce sex and blood in games.
They mock the Chinese President Xi Jinping with a Hearthstone card of Winnie the Pooh. He must be censored.
Why Winnie the Pooh? After a public appearance of Xi Jinping with then US President Barack Obama, Xi Jinping is often compared to Winnie the Pooh.
Allegedly, he hates it.
Fans suspect that Blizzard is adapting to new rules imposed by the Chinese government. Recently, the profanity filter of WoW was already suspected of trying to appease the Chinese government.
