| Hearthstone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Director(s) | |
| Designer(s) | |
| Composer(s) | Peter McConnell |
| Series | Warcraft |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Digital collectible card game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Hearthstone is a 2014 online digital collectible card video game produced by Blizzard Entertainment, released under the free-to-play model. Originally subtitled Heroes of Warcraft, Hearthstone builds upon the existing lore of the Warcraft series by using the same elements, characters, and relics. The game is available on the Windows, macOS, iOS and Android platforms, featuring cross-platform play. It has been a critical and commercial success,[5] with Blizzard reporting more than 100 million Hearthstone players as of November 2018,[6] and the game has become popular as an esport, with cash prize tournaments hosted by Blizzard and other organizers.
The game is a turn-based card game between two opponents, using constructed decks of 30 cards along with a selected hero with a unique power. Players use their limited mana crystals to play abilities or summon minions to attack the opponent, with the goal of destroying the opponent's hero. Winning matches and completing quests earn in-game gold, rewards in the form of new cards, and other in-game prizes. Players can then buy packs of new cards through gold or microtransactions to customize and improve their decks. The game features several modes of play, including casual and ranked matches, drafted arena battles, and single-player adventures. New content for the game involves the addition of new card sets and gameplay, taking the form of expansion packs.
In contrast to other games developed by Blizzard, Hearthstone was an experimental game developed by a smaller team based on the appreciation of collectible card games at the company. The game was designed to avoid the pitfalls of other digital collectible card games by eliminating any possible plays from an opponent during a player's turn and by replicating the feel of a physical card game within the game's user interface. Many of the concepts as well as art assets were based on those previously published in the physical World of Warcraft Trading Card Game.
- ^ Campbell, Colin (April 20, 2018). "Hearthstone game director quits Blizzard". Polygon.
- ^ a b Anthony McGlynn (October 28, 2019). "Blizzard confirms departure of veteran developers amid cancelled projects (Archive)". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019.
- ^ @Figluster (November 10, 2022). "Hey all! We're looking for a Senior UI/UX Designer to help us create wonderful experiences here at Moonshot Games" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Mike Donais. "Mike Donais on LinkedIn". Retrieved October 16, 2023.
I left Hearthstone to start my own unannounced project from scratch in 2020. Still at Blizzard.
- ^ Wilson, Jason (August 10, 2017). "PC Gaming Weekly: Watch out, Hearthstone — here comes Artifact". VentureBeat. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ "Blizzard celebrates 100 million Hearthstone players with free card packs for everyone". PC Gamer. November 5, 2018.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).