Blizzard Addresses Why Hearthstone Still Hasnt Made the Jump to Consoles and Handhelds
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Blizzard explains why Hearthstone has never launched on consoles or handhelds like the Steam Deck, pointing to a legacy codebase and UI overhaul requirements, though Microsoft's ownership is making cross-platform expansion a higher priority.
Twelve years after its initial launch, Blizzard is finally giving serious thought to bringing Hearthstone to consoles, the Nintendo ecosystem, and handheld PCs like the Steam Deck. Despite thriving on mobile devices and tablets for years, the Warcraft based digital card game has notoriously skipped traditional living room and portable hardware. According to comments shared with Eurogamer by executive producer Nathan Lyons-Smith and game director Tyler Bielman, the delay comes down to technical debt and a commitment to quality. The game relies on a codebase that is roughly sixteen years old, and the team wants to avoid a lazy port that fails to respect the platform.
Developing a card game for controllers and big screens requires a complete overhaul of the user interface and user experience. Lyons-Smith noted that while past card games have proven controllers can work well for this genre, achieving that level of polish demands a significant investment of time and resources. Furthermore, the team is evaluating whether the potential player base on these devices justifies the engineering effort, especially since so many fans already default to their phones or tablets for quick matches on the go.
However, the landscape has shifted significantly since Blizzard joined forces with Microsoft. Leadership is now actively encouraging teams to bring their games to as many platforms as possible, making console conversions a much higher priority than they were a few years ago. While fans should not expect a sudden release tomorrow, the developers are clearly laying the groundwork. When Hearthstone eventually makes its way to the couch and handheld devices, the team wants to ensure the experience feels entirely native to those form factors rather than just being a quick afterthought.
Tags: Hearthstone, Blizzard, Steam Deck, Nintendo Switch, Gaming News
Original article: Eurogamer