When it emerged from open beta eight years ago, Hearthstone was a titan. Developed on a modest budget by a rotating team of less than 20 people, Hearthstone took the time-tested collectible card game blueprint from Magic the Gathering, distilled it to its essence, polished it to a shine, and conquered the world. It made millions of dollars. It paved the way for 101 other ‘free-to-play’ CCGs including Gwent, Legends of Runeterra, Shadowverse, and Valve’s ill-fated Artifact. It was among the yearly top 10 most viewed games on Twitch for five years after launch. And it showed us that a successful esport needn’t revolve around hair-trigger reflexes or high APMs.
Thirty-odd card sets and almost a decade later, the development team has ballooned to over 150. Hearthstone now has several new game modes, a revamped economy, an achievement system, a whole new playable class and new generation of streamers and esports casters and competitors. Twitch viewers and player counts have levelled off since the glory days. But, as Hearthstone remains a giant among live service games despite its vintage, how is it really holding up? And, critically, is it still worth playing?
Of course, that’s difficult to answer without also addressing the controversies swirling around Hearthstone’s publisher, Activision Blizzard. These have been bleak. Multiple lawsuits allege widespread sexism, harassment and abuse. Leaked chat messages implicated at least one former senior Hearthstone developer. Several current Hearthstone devs have been vocal in their advocacy for change. Nevertheless, it’s hard to ignore that every dollar spent ingame goes to a company that has enacted swingeing layoffs, engaged in alleged union-busting, and is somehow still headed by a man accused of covering up serious misconduct, and making death threats against an employee. And Hearthstone has had its own share of controversies to boot.
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