For a few months now, Heroes of the Storm has had only a few developers left. But does this harm the game?
In the past six months, there have been several changes at Blizzard. The game studio has let go of many employees and reallocated some resources from projects to push forward other games and release more new titles. One of the “sacrifices” was the MOBA Heroes of the Storm. Many developers have left the team and focused on other tasks.
But how is Heroes of the Storm actually doing, nearly 4 months after the team was drastically reduced?
Regular Updates and Balancing: Those who feared that Heroes of the Storm would no longer be supported were proven wrong in recent months. There have been new patches repeatedly, mainly aimed at addressing balancing issues.
But there were also more extensive reworks. For instance, Chromie was slightly reworked or many talents of Zagara were adjusted. The playstyle of some heroes has changed as a result. The fact that the developers are taking time for such adjustments is seen as a good sign that the game’s development is still ongoing.
New in-game events are still happening. Currently, the “Akropolis Caldeum” is live:
Real money loot boxes are gone: Quite surprisingly, Heroes of the Storm changed the purchase of loot boxes about a month ago. These can no longer be purchased with the premium currency “Diamonds”, but can only be obtained through gold or quests.
No explanation was given for this, but it was speculated that Blizzard wants to avoid the accusation of gambling. This seems strange, as in other games (Overwatch) such boxes can still be purchased. The player community was divided over this announcement.
Some were pleased with this and regarded this decision as a positive step. The less real-money gambling in a game, the better.
Others feared that Heroes of the Storm is now on the verge of being discontinued. In other games, the gradual removal of purchase options is seen as a clear sign that publishers or developers are letting the game go.
Everyone can buy what they need: There was also a major overhaul of skins. Almost all cosmetic items can now be specifically and individually purchased with jewels or crafted through shards. So, the gambling factor is also gone here.
Those who want can now specifically purchase the skin they actually want. This change was received positively by the community and seen as a clear step in the right direction.
Fewer new heroes: The impact of the team restructuring is most clearly noticeable in the frequency at which new heroes are released. Where previously a new hero appeared every few weeks, there are now several months between releases. This is particularly evident with Anduin Wrynn. Anduin was leaked back in February and has only now arrived in April on the PTR.
Additionally, it is assumed that Anduin was already in development by the end of 2018, before the team was downsized. These are likely the last major contents that had been “pre-produced”.
The big test for Heroes of the Storm will be whether the game can still offer new content and release interesting characters afterwards – and, above all, whether this will satisfy the players.
Short waiting times, enough players: The waiting times in Heroes of the Storm remain short, at least in the entire “fun” modes, like quick play or Brawl. In ranked modes, longer waiting times of several minutes can occur, as matching opponents need to be found.
This is not really dramatic yet. Those who want to play generally find a match within a few seconds or minutes.
Conclusion: Heroes of the Storm lives, but the future remains uncertain
In summary, it can be said that Heroes of the Storm is still playable and is generally in an acceptable state. However, some fears of the fans seem to be confirmed.
When more than two months pass between the first leak and the release of a hero, it is a clear sign of how the development has slowed down.
The concern that HotS is just “bleeding out” and then will die cannot be completely dismissed. However, there are still fresh content as well as graphical and gameplay updates. Although less frequent, with HotS now having a solid roster of heroes, this should not weigh heavily on long-time fans.
Only those who want a new hero every 3-4 weeks will likely have to give up on that thought.
What do you think of Heroes of the Storm? Are you still playing Blizzard’s MOBA? Or did you give up when the news of the developer reduction came?
