Blizzard isn’t known for many console releases as of late. The only releases recently have been Diablo 3 and the upcoming Ultimate Evil Edition which brings the game to the new generation of consoles as well as including the expansion pack. This new version (also appearing on the Xbox 360) will have regular updates much like the PC version, which is a win for those console gamers who don’t really play on PC often. Other than this, you have to go back a ways before you find anything that Blizzard have released on home consoles.
Their most recent successful endeavor is a collectible card game that many have probably heard of: Hearthstone – Heroes of Warcraft. This free-to-play card game based on the Warcraft universe, and loosely on the World of Warcraft Collectible Card Game has blown up, and recently received it’s single player adventure pack, The Curse of Naxxramas, which includes many new cards to play with. The way Blizzard earns money from this is the option to pay real money for extra card packs or entrance to each wing of the Naxxramas adventure, and it’s been very profitable for the company.
Hearthstone started on PC, but had been intended to be released on mobile platforms as well. This has resulted in an iPad version and soon Android as well. Though there has never been any mention about it coming to consoles, whether that be the Xbox 360 or the Xbox One. It was only in the past couple of years that games on the Xbox 360 had free-to-play models, World of Tanks being the most prominent lately. Would Hearthstone work on the consoles? It’s definitely a possibility, and it could be a great way to get more people playing.
There have been card games of this type on consoles before, with Magic The Gathering having yearly releases of video games on the Xbox 360. The fact that this game works, and seems to be popular among some players means that Hearthstone could definitely work. The mechanics are simple enough, with the a player being able to highlight their own cards or hero ability and then using the controllers buttons to play or even look at each card in their hand. The only mechanics that may need a little more thought (or even a cursor on console) would be interacting with each different game board, but this is purely for fun while waiting for an opponents turn to finish rather than being integral to the game.
Hearthstone is easy to learn, but fun to try and master when collecting each different card and constructing decks to climb the rankings. It’s also a game that is popularly streamed on Twitch, and with the Xbox One’s integration would be a perfect addition to the many games player love to watch and stream. It would even work well on the Xbox 360, meaning that it wouldn’t be necessary to leave anyone out if they haven’t upgraded yet or have no intention of upgrading any time soon. The card packs themselves could be cheap enough to get rid of some left offer cash in your Microsoft wallet, meaning that some of those pesky left other pounds (or dollars) could be used for something a bit more easily than just waiting until they accumulate over time.
There’s no denying that it’s a successful and popular game, and bringing it to an even wider audience could bring in a lot of money to Blizzard, and it would be great for us gamers as well. If it tied into your Blizzard account, it could be even better. So if you don’t own a laptop or mobile device that can play the game, you can just hop on to a friends console or even in your own living room. Snapping it while watching TV could also be pretty handy if there’s something you don’t want to miss on TV but you still want something to occupy you at the same time. There’s a lot of possibilities for a game that you can just sit and play casually, and Hearthstone is still one of the best to sink some time in to when the games themselves don’t last that long.
With the consoles having Diablo, and World of Warcraft and StarCraft 2 not being as suitable for the console environment, Hearthstone is a great candidate for another game for Blizzard to hand down to the consoles. They’re always top quality, great fun, and it’s a shame that the consoles are left in the dark when it comes to Blizzard’s fantastic library. So, personally, even though I play it regularly on PC, I would love to see Hearthstone appear on an Xbox. If not for my own laziness, but for other people to play and enjoy. It’s something they definitely should consider, so maybe it’s something they’ve already thought about and is coming in the future. The Construct Quarter will soon be over, meaning there’s only one Wing of Naxxramas left. That’s a lot of content that would easily be available for people to play Day One if a console version drops. There’s also the possibility of a full blown expansion, which Blizzard themselves have said will be much bigger and robust than Naxxramas is.
So who knows? What do you think? Would you play Hearthstone on a console? Or should it stay on PC and Mobile?
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