Hearthstone’s Newest Hero Does Nothing
By Jason Prott
Today Blizzard unveiled Magni Bronzebeard, the first new hero coming to Hearthstone, unfortunately he’s just a $9.99 reskin of the already-existing warrior class. Well maybe that’s not entirely true, you also receive a unique card back and two packs of cards. Subtract the cost of the card packs and Magni really only costs $7 USD, but that hasn’t quelled the anger of some players.
There has been a sizable negative response, which should surprise no one. The announcement video currently totes a sizable dislike bar on Youtube, and the comment section is littered with more negativity than we’re used to seeing.
These reactions aren’t limited to just Youtube, they extend to the Hearthstone blog as well.
In a recent interview with GamesMaster, Hearthstone Game Director Eric Dodds discussed how the game’s future couldn’t just be new cards.
"“…we know we can’t just keep adding cards forever. It’s important to figure out solutions to that kind of thing to maintain the long-term health of the game. We’re not ready to pitch a solution yet. We want to figure it out and make sure we hit the exact right answer before we do that.”"
There’s only so many places an online card game can expand to, with new classes and gamemodes being the obvious next step. So when the next step in Hearthstone is cosmetic hero skins, players are understandably disappointed.
And while I may have sounded cynical in the beginning, it’s important to put this in perspective. If we value the true-cost of the skin at $7, then it’s still cheaper than most skins in Heroes of The Storm, which just launched this week. And these are cosmetic pieces of content that don’t affect how the game is played or give you any sort of advantage. It’s a relatively low-effort revenue stream for the developers, and video games are a business after all: it’s their job to make money. If you disapprove with their decisions and want to be heard, then vote with your dollar.
I’ll be choosing to not purchase Magni Bronzebeard, remember you have that choice as well.