The market for online collectible card games (CCG) is dominated by Hearthstone . Blizzard’s success story sets the tone for the genre.
The market research institute Superdata has looked into the market for collectible card games. They have concluded that Blizzard’s Hearthstone generates 20 million USD monthly. This is more than DOTA 2, Valve’s MOBA, which made 18 million USD in March.
According to the market research institute, Hearthstone’s dominance lies in Blizzard applying the old WoW tactic again. 10 to 15 years ago, Blizzard took a genre that was only popular in a niche, closely examined the then industry leader (Everquest), and designed a mainstream version that was much more accessible than all previous MMORPGs: World of Warcraft.
This time, Blizzard drew inspiration from the conventional CCG Magic: The Gathering to develop Hearthstone. It features “deep game mechanics” but appears accessible at first glance and is suitable for the mainstream.
Larger displays on mobile devices suit Hearthstone
Additionally, smartphones and tablets with larger displays are on the rise. Until now, mobile players preferred “simple” games on their small screen devices that had little to do with traditional collectible card games. Rounds only took one or two minutes.
Hearthstone is successful with the same game concept on both PC and mobile and sets a high standard that other digital games must adapt to. The free-to-play version of Magic, Duels, will also focus on being beginner-friendly and will have a mobile version.
With a series of humorous commercials, Hearthstone promoted its mobile transition in the USA:
