For Hearthstone , a lot of new card chaos modes have been announced. But one thing is simply missing – Ben Brode.
Hearthstone is currently in a phase where the game is kind of “fizzling out”. The meta is relatively stagnated again, although recent nerfs have at least brought about some small changes. Most players are eagerly awaiting the next expansion, which will probably not be released until April.
However, the developers of Hearthstone are not idle and are trying to keep players entertained with small in-game events like the Moon Festival or new brawls.
New brawls are supposed to help: In a new “Developer Insights” video, Joseph Magdalena, one of the live content designers of Hearthstone, presents upcoming content. He explains that starting February 13, there will be a total of 3 new brawls (card chaos) game modes. These will form a special “season of Rastakhan” and are thematically tied to the current expansion Rastakhan’s Rumble. Players will be able to take on the roles of the troll legends they faced in the arena.
A video that not many like: The video has surprisingly received a lot of “thumbs down” for a Hearthstone video. Almost half of all ratings are dislikes. This is not only due to the misleading title, as it is not even a “Developer Insight” video; no insights into the development are shared. The content itself and the presentation style are also criticized.
It may sound a bit harsh, but in my eyes, Magdalena is not suited for such presentations. Even though he is surely very enthusiastic about what his team is putting together, the spark just doesn’t jump over. Comparing his presentation with those from a few years ago, where Ben Brode took over the presentation – the former poster boy of the Hearthstone team.
I simply miss the guy. And that means something. I miss a guy who basically wanted to sell me advertisements. Even though Hearthstone is still a cool “filler” game from time to time, the enthusiasm just doesn’t resonate like it did with Ben Brode. Brode was simply an entertaining person, where his exaggerated drawn-out “Well met” made you smile inside and know that exciting announcements were about to come. Or his iconic laugh that could captivate children.
For me, Ben Brode simply embodied the whole idea of Hearthstone. He was the born entertainer and a man whose storytelling made you grin. Moreover, he wasn’t shy of writing his own songs for Hearthstone expansions to not disappoint the community.
Maybe I am doing Magdalena and the rest of the Hearthstone team a bit of injustice. They are doing their best, yet none of them have the charisma that a Ben Brode has. None of them can sell new ideas as well, and this is also shown in the YouTube comments under the latest video. It says for example (translated):
- “Bring Ben Brode back.”
- “The game died with Brode.”
- “We miss Brode.”
- “Press F to pay respect to Ben Brode.”
Or significantly harsher:
- “Joseph Magdalena is what you get when you apply ‘devolution’ to Ben Brode.”
Even now, long after his departure from Blizzard, it is still clear to me: Brode is missing from Hearthstone, no matter how good the content of the game may be. He was more than just a figurehead and developer regarding Hearthstone; he truly embodied the “spirit” of the game.
What do you think?
In the meantime, Ben Brode is working on a completely different game at another company:
