Heroes of The Storm Launches, Adds Free Goodies
By Jason Prott
Heroes of The Storm made the modest transition from open beta to “officially launched” late this afternoon, and is kicking off the launch with a celebration of sorts.
The main attraction comes in the form of Diablo 3’s Johanna, the newest addition to the roster. The cross-pollination doesn’t end there, players can receive several different Heroes of The Storm rewards within Hearthstone and World of Warcraft by reaching certain milestones.
Veterans to the beta may look forward to (or dread) the wave of newcomers to the game, but all will benefit from an XP bonus during the launch celebration. The bonus starts at 25% from June 2-9, then doubles each week ending at a 100% XP bonus June 16-24. You can read more about these and the other launch bonuses in the official patch notes.
Blizzard’s entry into the highly competitive MOBA market entered closed beta in late January of this year, and remained that way until opening on May 19, 2015. Heroes of The Storm aims to set itself apart by focusing on team-based objectives and mechanics, rather than rewarding individual play. This focus on teamwork also teaches valuable life lessons via positive subliminal messaging— move over Mr. Rogers!
Normally a new F2P game (especially a MOBA) garners a lot of hand wringing over its financial future and overall sustainability. Last year we saw EA pull the plug on Dawngate, the MOBA in-development by Waystone Games, but Heroes of The Storm has a lot of push behind it. With Blizzards’s pedigree (and pocketbook), a spot on ESPN, and a cast of familiar faces, I’m certain that Heroes of The Storm will do just fine. We’ll find out exactly how fine it does in the coming months.