In Blizzard’s free online card game Hearthstone, the port for iPhones and those smartphones using the Android operating system is in progress. But no matter the medium: The world of Hearthstone should remain united. Everyone will be able to play against and with each other, if Blizzard has its way. And it does have its way. However, a trading system is unlikely to ever be introduced in the game.
While the port for smartphones is still taking time, Hearthstone is set to make it to Android tablets this year. It has already been running on the iPad for some time. However, the more platforms that enjoy Hearthstone, the greater the question of whether they would all play together.
The key for small displays should lie in the minimalist interface
“Yes,” says Hamilton Chu, the producer of Hearthstone, in an interview with PC Gamer. He thinks it’s great to have a single huge player base: “When you play, you have no idea if the opponent is on a PC or an iPad. It doesn’t matter. It is irrelevant for the game and for the players among themselves.”
With Hearthstone, a lot of effort has gone into the user interface and every single button has been questioned regarding its function to make the UI as simple and user-friendly as possible. This is precisely what they want to benefit from with the port to devices with smaller displays.
Trading cards will likely never come
A feature that is often talked about is the possibility of trading cards with each other. However, Chu dismisses this. It isn’t because they had mixed experiences with the auction house in Diablo at Blizzard, but rather the approach they wish to take for Hearthstone. If there were an auction house, there would also be card values, discussions about what a certain card is worth or not, and numerous other aspects that they do not want in Hearthstone.
In social interactions, they also pursue a “less is more” philosophy. The limited way of communicating through pre-made short emotes excludes possibilities for truly “negative” behavior and leaves it up to the player to consider what the opponent means with a certain action. For the future, they are working on a “spectator” mode.
