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'Hearthstone’s ‘Knights of the Frozen Throne’ expansion is live
Blizzard's digital card game Hearthstone's newest full expansion is now live. Knights of the Frozen Throne brings 135 new cards and free solo content to the title and a couple new mechanics, which will shake up the game's competitive meta. Sure, it's a lot of what we've come to expect from a Hearthstone expansion, but who can complain about new additions to tried-and-true gameplay?
‘Hearthstone’s next expansion adds undead fun in icy Northrend
Digital card game Hearthstone started off a new year of themed expansions with April's Journey to Un'goro, adding 135 cards and introducing new concepts to refresh the game. Last night, studio Blizzard announced the second new content block for 2017, Knights of the Frozen Throne, which will launch in August.
'Overwatch’ loot boxes will have fewer duplicates
Players of Overwatch and Hearthstone should pay attention to Blizzard. The company has made two separate announcements that will significantly affect the loot systems in both games.
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.
Rickard Nordin, Sweden's 'Hearthstone'-streaming politician
For many people, eSports cropped up when they weren't looking, growing out of the passionate local communities built by game creators and players. Professional teams now compete in high-stakes leagues for prestige, tournament winnings and lucrative sponsorship deals -- but only in places where eSports is encouraged to take root. Many countries don't offer pro game players the same ease of travel as traditional athletes, leading lawmakers to continue debating just how much the state should support the local video game scene. Such is the case with Sweden, but national Parliament member Rickard Nordin is rallying his peers to embrace the financial and cultural benefits eSports can bring, and he's reaching out to fans (near and far) on a platform fitting his mission.
First 'Hearthstone' expansion of 2017 adds dinos and adventure
The long-awaited first expansion of 2017 for Blizzard's Hearthstone is finally here. Journey To Un'Goro adds 135 cards (gallery here) to the game with fun new functions, but the first content of the year will also retire all of 2015's cards out of the main Standard format. That means saying goodbye to some old frenemies (adios, Ragnaros) and hello to a refreshed meta, a Wild West of untested deck concepts and synergies. A digital cardscape where dinosaurs rule.
'Hearthstone' gets first expansion of the year in early April
It doesn't take much to set video game fans down rumor rabbit holes these days, but in this case, hints about Hearthstone's first expansion in 2017 were correct. Blizzard has officially announced that Journey to Un'Goro will be the next content block added this year, bringing dinosaurs and new mechanics to the digital card game when the set launches in early April.
It will cost $670 to get 90 percent of 2017's 'Hearthstone' cards
Since it launched in 2014, Blizzard's free-to-play digital card game Hearthstone has dominated its niche. To keep gameplay fresh, the studio has alternated new content additions between Adventures, which guarantees some cards for a $20 flat fee, and larger expansion sets that dole out cards in randomized packs bought with in-game gold or real-world currency. Last week, the studio announced it will forgo any Adventure releases in 2017, instead launching three of the latter full-size content blocks for 2017. While this means a record amount of cards will be added, it will be harder -- and more expensive -- to get all of them.
'Hearthstone' will release three full expansions in 2017
Blizzard is shaking up its Warcraft-themed digital card game, Hearthstone, with a slew of changes coming this year. Unlike its prior habit of alternating smaller Adventure releases with larger Expansions, 2017 will see three of the latter full-size sets added to the game. But they're also taking away half a dozen cards from the competitive Standard format, including fan favorites Ragnaros the Firelord and Sylvanas. Welcome to the Year of the Mammoth.
'Hearthstone' tournament has 48 teams vying for $300,000
Blizzard has revealed more details about the Global Games, its new Hearthstone eSports competition format that pits teams, rather than individual players, against each other. The tournament will feature 48 teams, each from a different country, competing in a series of round-robin tournaments online.The top four teams left standing will compete face-to-face in the Global Games Final Tournament later in the year.
The 'Titanfall' mobile game will die on the vine
If you managed to get access to the Titanfall: Frontline beta, congratulations: You're playing a mobile game marked for death. "We've learned an incredible amount in the beta test of Titanfall: Frontline, but in the end felt the experience wasn't ready to deliver the intense action-packed gameplay synonymous with Titanfall," a post on the game's website says.
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.
'Hearthstone' is going to Gadgetzan
The next expansion for Blizzard's wildly popular digital card game goes out into the desert. But it'll be a bit different than when you checked out out in World of Warcraft. "Mean Streets of Gadgetzan" is a bigger, more populated city now, but executive producer Hamilton Chu said that it has some seedy back alleys and underworld elements to it.
'Hearthstone' shakes up how tournaments will work
Blizzard's Hearthstone has been a darling on the pro gaming circuit for awhile, and the card game's next season should cement its eSports focus even further. A big part of that is how its developer is organizing competitions, rankings and how tournament points are doled out. The company is also changing the types of tournaments offered.
Blizzard's next 'Hearthstone' adventure is a magical disco party
Even though Blizzard's light-hearted digital card game, Hearthstone, just got a new expansion back in April, rumors of new content just around the corner have been proven true. At an event in Shanghai, China, the studio announced a new adventure, One Night In Karazhan, that will add hours of single-player content and 45 new cards to the mix when it launches on August 11th. Best of all, the first prologue mission is free for everyone.
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.
'Battlecast' turns 'Skylanders' into a collectible card game
Activision Blizzard has seen a ton of success with two franchises in recent years: Skylanders, which kicked off the toys-to-life craze, and Hearthstone, which made collectible card games (CCG) accessible to anyone with an internet connection. Now, it's mashing the two together for Skylanders Battlecast, a CCG aimed at children. Announced last summer, it's finally available across North America and Europe from today. Just like regular Skylanders games, Battlecast is very much focused on you buying real-world items. The game itself will be available on iOS or Android (both Google and Amazon flavours) as a free download. To make the most of it, you'll need to buy cards. There are 24 character cards to collect, along with numerous Spell, Gear and Relic cards that will allow you to attack enemies, change stats or modify the playing field. Think Magic: The Gathering's Equipment, Artifacts and Enchantments and you won't be far off.
'Hearthstone' update brings drastic changes to the card game
Hearthstone is undergoing some changes in the interest of keeping the digital-trading-card game fresh. But in introducing the "Whispers of the Old Gods" -- expansion out on the 26th -- developer Blizzard is tweaking a bunch of cards and, based on the 5,000-plus comment Reddit thread, this isn't exactly for the better. Fan favorite cards like Molten Giant have gotten a casting cost increase up to 25 from 20, while the Knife Juggler card has had its attack decreased by a point.
eSports gets its first major UK bookmaker
Ignore it all you like, but eSports is booming. There are now million-dollar payouts, doping scandals and even official ways to put money down on your favourite squad. While gambling on eSports is still a relatively new concept, it's just been given a much-needed boost after well-known UK betting site Betway launched its very own gaming portal. The company, which has traditionally focused on football, horse racing, tennis and other "traditional" sports, believes it's the first major bookmaker to expand into competitive gaming.
'Hearthstone's' tournament-themed expansion lands August 24th
If you're aching for more variety in your Hearthstone cards, you don't have too much longer to wait. Blizzard has revealed that the game's latest expansion, The Grand Tournament, will arrive on August 24th for both desktop and mobile players. As mentioned earlier, how much it costs depends on both your in-game experience and how many of those 132 new, championship-themed cards you're determined to own. You can buy packs using 100 gold if you're willing to grind through enough matches, while you can spend between $3 to $50 to get two to 40 packs all at once. Just remember to act quickly if you want the pre-purchase set, which offers 50 packs for $50 -- that disappears the moment The Grand Tournament is available.