In one of Blizzard’s more unexpected announcements, they have announced a card game that will expand the World of Warcraft in new, unexpected ways.
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft is a new cross-platform free-to-play game for Windows, Macintosh, and iPad.
In Hearthstone, players build card decks centered around one of nine iconic Warcraft character classes and duel each other for the chance to win rare cards and decks. PAX East attendees are able to go hands-on with Hearthstone this weekend. However, Blizzard will begin beta testing for the game very soon.
“We’ve always loved collectible card games at Blizzard, so it’s been exciting to bring everything we love about the genre to life in Hearthstone,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We’re putting a lot of focus into creating a fun new game that’s easy to pick up and play, but also has a lot of depth. We can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Unique from other card games, players can actually craft their own cards as well.
The game will be available for all to play, regardless of skill level and can either play practice matches against computer or face their friends on Battle.net.
There will be two play modes. Firstly, ‘Play Mode’ which features head to head battles where players can increase their medal ranking and earn card packs. Players can also enter ‘The Forge’ where they start each match building a new deck, then using that deck to duel other Forge participants. The catch? Aside from winning new cards, players can complete their collections by disenchanting existing cards to craft ones they’re missing and also purchase new card packs
With hundreds of cards to choose from, featuring a wide range of colorful Warcraft spells, weapons, and characters, players will have limitless possibilities for developing and fine-tuning their deck-building strategies. Further details about Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraftwill be announced as development progresses. To learn more about the game, head here and you can also sign up for the Beta!