Blizzard is officially moving development resources away from Heroes of the Storm in favour of other upcoming projects.
Blizzard President J. Allen Brack and chief development officer Ray Gresko announced the news in a written statement on the company’s website and thanked the community for their support. In the post, Brack and Gresko also made it clear that some members of the development team are staying behind and that the game will continue to receive updates, including new heroes, seasonal events and other content, just at a slower pace than before.
The duo went on to express their gratitude for the community saying that they are “grateful for the support the community has shown from the beginning” and that they will “continue to support Heroes with the same passion, dedication, and creativity that has made the game such a unique experience.”
Blizzard also announced that the esports side of Heroes of the Storm will be shutting down and that all events scheduled for 2019 have been cancelled. In a statement on their website, the esports team thanked the fans for their enthusiasm, adding that it was a “tough decision to make,” but ultimately the right one. It’s unclear what impact this move will have on professional players and casters, but it does seem like a bit of a blindside for them and is one of the unfortunate byproducts of esports longevity being tied to a game’s overall success.
Heroes of the Storm originally launched back in June of 2015 and is classified as an online hero brawler. The game features popular Blizzard characters from games such as Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, The Lost Vikings, and Overwatch. Heroes of the Storm received favourable reviews, but never managed to become as much of a commercial success as Blizzard’s other properties.
The latest update to Heroes of the Storm was announced just over a month ago, at BlizzCon 2019. This update introduced the first original character for the game in the form of a mid-ranged assassin, named Orphea.
