For many Hearthstone fans, it was a small shock. The most popular fan site and database with thousands of deck ideas, Hearthpwn, is closing. Where should one go now, which site takes on the same function as Hearthpwn?
If you want to analyze the latest trend in the Hearthstone meta or simply play a fun, trendy deck, you visit the site Hearthpwn.
For years, it was a go-to place for both pros and amateurs who wanted to succeed in Blizzard’s card game or discuss deck ideas. With just a few clicks, decks could be imported into the game. But that will soon be over. The Hearthstone fan site is closing on June 28.
Why is Hearthpwn closing? Hearthpwn was part of the larger “Curse” network, which commented on the matter at the request of Inven Global and explained:
“We are proud of what we have created with Hearthpwn and grateful to the community that has supported us along the way. (…) The decision to archive the site was difficult, but unfortunately, we were not able to justify the necessary resources to keep the site alive.”
This
at least “hints at” the fact that traffic has collapsed and interest in Hearthstone has declined.
What is an alternative for Hearthpwn? The smart minds behind Hearthpwn are not completely disappearing but want to create a new site called “Out of Cards.”
Hearthstone will still be a focus here, but they also want to broaden their scope and cover other card games, such as Magic: The Gathering Arena. This should help mitigate any problems if interest in Hearthstone declines.
Is interest in Hearthstone declining too much? The thesis that Hearthstone is waning aligns with Blizzard’s recent financial figures. Because a few weeks ago, they revealed that the general player interest in Hearthstone had declined and new expansions were not received as positively as they had been in the past.
This became particularly clear when a market research firm revealed in February 2019 that Hearthstone lost nearly 52% of its revenue in the direct comparison between February 2018 and 2019. A threatening downward trend that will likely affect niche fan sites.
Whether “Conspiracy of Shadows” could counteract this trend, we will probably find out in a few months when new financial figures are released.
