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Blizzard cancels 'Heroes of the Storm' eSports plans
Blizzard is putting an end to Heroes of the Storm eSports events amid shifting priorities for the publisher. In a new blog post, it says it's taken the "difficult" step of moving some developers from the free-to-play MOBA title to other projects. Both the collegiate "Heroes of the Dorm" -- the biggest college eSports event in the US -- and the the "Heroes Global Championship" will not return in 2019.
Blizzard esports app keeps you on top of league matches
BlizzCon is right around the corner, which means big tournaments are imminent -- and Blizzard unsurprisingly wants to be sure you can follow along. It just launched a Blizzard Esports app for Android and iOS that provides news, schedules, score and live viewing (including alerts) for competitive events in the developer's various franchises, such as the impending finale for the Overwatch World Cup. If you're stuck at work when the US team is taking on South Korea, you won't have to dig through news sites to get scores or tune in.
'StarCraft' 20th anniversary brings freebies and a short film
Blizzard is keeping up its habit of marking the anniversaries of major games. The original StarCraft is turning 20 on March 31st, and the studio is promising a slew of extras across its games to mark the occasion, including the classic real-time strategy title itself. You can log in to StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft II after March 6th to get commemorative interface skins, plus portraits and decals if you sign into SCII by April 6th. And if you're not particularly big on those titles, there are plenty of other ways to obtain perks -- you might even prefer them to the ones you get with StarCraft proper.
Twitch and Blizzard partner for broadcasts and 'Overwatch' loot
Twitch and Blizzard are teaming up in a big way this year. First up, if you're a Twitch Prime member you've got some loot boxes coming your way for Overwatch. "Starting June 20th, Twitch Prime members will receive an Overwatch Golden Loot Box containing a guaranteed [note: emphasis is Twitch's] legendary item, along with three additional in-game items like emotes, voice lines or character skins," according to the Twitch blog post. And more on that note, Prime members are going to get 10 more loot boxes this year.
'Heroes of the Storm' adds everyone's favorite 'Overwatch' hero
Last month, Blizzard announced it would revamp its MOBA game, Heroes of the Storm, in a huge patch released in April. Its 2.0 update, which is live in North America, promised to upgrade its player progression system and added random-reward loot boxes, a staple of the free-to-play model. But the studio had a few other surprises to drop today, including adding a new hero to the nexus, Overwatch's teen mecha-piloting pop star, D.Va.
Blizzard puts a smidge of 'Overwatch' in 'Heroes of the Storm'
Blizzard is working hard to overhaul its free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Heroes of the Storm. The studio has announced some big changes are coming in the game's 2.0 update, including a new reward system similar to Blizzard's hugely popular online shooter, Overwatch.
Blizzard marks 20 years of 'Diablo' with events across its games
Believe it or not, Diablo is turning 20 years old on December 31st. Yes, the classic clickfest has been around for long enough that some adults weren't even alive when the first game launched. It's a historic moment for gaming -- and Blizzard is marking the occasion by bringing Diablo-themed events and extras to several of its games. Diablo III, unsurprisingly, gets the most lavish treatment. It's going to get a Darkening of Tristram event that lets you visit a "reimagined" version of the original game's cathedral, including some familiar pick-ups.
Blizzard deal lets you stream its games on Facebook Live
Blizzard is about to make it much, much easier to share your gaming exploits with the world. The developer has unveiled a deal with Facebook that will let you stream its games directly through Facebook Live -- you won't have to do much to broadcast your latest Overwatch marathon for your friends. There isn't a firm timeline for when this will be available, but it won't be limited to Overwatch when it arrives.
Yahoo Esports goes mobile with a dedicated Android app
If you thought Yahoo's push into esports would stop at a dedicated editorial team, guess again. Now the outfit is taking that expertise mobile with the launch of the Yahoo Esports app on Android. It's a bit sparse at the moment, though, only covering a quintet of games: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Dota 2, Heroes of the Storm, League of Legends and Street Fighter V.
Arizona State University wins 2016's 'Heroes of the Dorm'
Arizona State University's "Real Dream Team" won't have to pay for tuition for the rest of the time they're enrolled. How's that? Over the weekend these runners up from last year's premiere Heroes of the Dorm competition beat out rivals from UConn and the University of Texas at Arlington in Heroes of the Storm, where top prize is gratis education. Before you start wondering if they can repeat this, maybe give the guys a break and let 'em bask in the victory of not only free college, but of their eSports exploits being broadcast in primetime on ESPN 2.
Win college tuition if you're good at 'Heroes of the Storm'
If you're good at throwing, catching or hitting objects with sticks, then it's possible to go to college for free on an athletic scholarship. Kids who spent warm summer days indoors working out how to trounce their foes online, on the other hand, get nothing more than a raised eyebrow and a sneer from the admissions tutor. ESPN and Blizzard are hoping to rectify that situation with its Heroes of the Dorm contest, which is coming back for a second year. The tournament matches teams from various colleges, with the members of the winning team earning free tuition for the rest of their degree.
Blizzard's 'Heroes of the Storm' officially launches today
You're entirely forgiven if you thought that Blizzard's take on the MOBA genre (or multiplayer online battle arena if you aren't into the whole brevity thing), Heroes of the Storm was already released. What, with the massive beta and equally sizable ad campaign that's taken over late-night TV recently that's perfectly understandable. However, the official release is actually today, and with it comes a commemorative in-game portrait and experience-point boosts for those playing for this first week and the first three weeks, respectively. In case you haven't given it a go yet and are curious what it looks like when Starcraft characters duke it out with those from Warcraft, there's really not much stopping you from at least giving it a try. The game is free to download and play, after all. And who knows, if you dig it you could be the next hero of the dorm.
Watch eSports on ESPN2 for the first time ever this weekend
The final round of the collegiate championship for Heroes of the Storm -- Blizzard's answer to hugely popular MOBA games League of Legends and Dota 2 -- will be broadcast live on ESPN2 on Sunday at 6:30PM PT. That's prime time, baby. This marks the first time that ESPN will air an eSports match on live TV; it hosted the League of Legends finals last year online only, and that stream brought in more viewers than the NBA Finals or the deciding game in the World Series. Also last year, ESPN2 aired a documentary about Dota 2 and ESPN3 hosted an online stream of that game's championships. Professional gaming is a booming business, with the top title, League of Legends, bringing in an estimated $1 billion in 2014 alone.
'Heroes of the Storm' pits 'StarCraft against 'Warcraft' in June
More than three years after Blizzard announced it would be making a competitor to League of Legends and Dota 2, that game finally has an official release date. Heroes of the Storm comes out June 2nd, brining with it seven maps for players to face off on using over 30 characters culled from the studio's famous Diablo, StarCraft and Warcraft series. As with other multiplayer online battle arena games, or MOBAs as they're commonly known, like the aforementioned League of Legends, Heroes of the Storm is free to download and start playing. Blizzard makes money on the game by charging for new characters as well as customization options.
Dozens of Blizzard's biggest game characters are getting figurines
You're typically lucky if you get even a few figurines based on your favorite games. That's certainly true with Blizzard -- despite its deep game universes, you seldom get more than a handful of characters. Thankfully, that relative drought is about to end soon. The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) is launching a collectible line based around Blizzard's multi-franchise online battle arena, Heroes of the Storm, and it's planning figurines for all 34 playable characters. If you want to have a Diablo III demon hunter or StarCraft II's Tychus on your desk, you can.
BlizzCon 2013 in photographs
BlizzCon might be over, but pictures last forever, or at least until something happens to our data center. Don't get any ideas. Hey, where are you going with that tornado?! Enjoy our view of the con! Massively's on the ground in Anaheim during the weekend of November 8th, bringing you all the best news from BlizzCon 2013. Whether you're anticipating World of Warcraft's and Diablo III's next expansions or reveals from Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, we aim to have it covered!
