With Hearthstone expansion Curse of Naxxramas slated for release in July, could this mean that the mobile app for Android smartphones and the iPhone will be delayed?
Hearthstone is Blizzard Entertainment’s first digital collectible card game (CCG). Set in the Warcraft universe, the free-to-play game pits two players against each other in turn-based combat. A game is won when a player reduces his/her opponent’s “hero” to zero health — heroes start with 30 health — or the opponent concedes defeat.
Hearthstone was first announced in March 2013 at Penny Arcade Expo, entered open beta in January 2014, and was officially released on March 2014 on Windows, Mac, and the iPad.
In April 2014, Blizzard announced that they will be releasing Hearthstone for Android and the iPhone later in 2014.
Blizzard also announced the release of the first Hearthstone “adventure,” Curse of Naxxramas, in April. The expansion will include up to 30 new cards, and a five-wing adventure, where players get to complete a series of boss battles.
The five wings will be launched over a course of five weeks, with one wing coming out each week. The first wing, “The Arachnid Quarter,” is scheduled for release on July 22.
As Blizzard will most likely have to throw their support behind Curse of Naxxramas, it could mean that the Android and iOS release could be delayed.
In particular, Blizzard has noted that getting the Android version right will be a tough challenge, given the range of Android devices in the market.
Jason Chayes, the production director for Hearthstone, told Game Spot: “Just the breadth of different screen resolutions, different device capabilities--all of that is stuff we have to factor in to make sure the interface still feels good.”
As Blizzard are famous for waiting until a product is very nearly perfect before launching them, there is a possibility that the mobile Hearthstone app may not release in 2014.
Posters on Blizzard’s Hearthstone forum recommend downloading Team Viewer, a remote desktop app, as a sort of makeshift measure for Android until Blizzard rolls out the app.
