Hearthstone is one of the most popular card games to date - having had a peaked value of 50 million unique players way back in April of 2016. However, as the popular adage goes, "every good thing must come to an end." And it appears that this also applies to Blizzard's popular Collectible Card Game, Hearthstone. Here's why.
Hearthstone's Lowest Revenue Recorded In The Month Of February
As stated by SuperData (via Gamerant), Blizzard's popular CCG Hearthstone, just hit rock bottom on both iOS and Android devices for the month of February. According to the report, Hearthstone hit its lowest recorded revenue, since its launch, last February. What's more, the game has had a steady decline (as far as revenue goes) on both platforms year-over-year and month-over-month. Meanwhile, in the desktop version, Hearthstone's case is not as severe most probably because of the support from both hardcore and competitive users.
What's Wrong With Hearthstone?
According to SuperData, the decline in revenue stems from the "unpopular" changes in its gameplay; which led to the "sharp decrease in conversion on mobile." It also pointed out that while Blizzard may have exerted its efforts in mitigating this stagnation, such as introducing arena drafts and nerfing overpowered cards, it seems that it simply was not enough. Furthermore, it is important to note that several streamers and competitive players have recently left the game citing that the game's core relies heavily on RNG rather than actual strategy.
Recent Price Surge
Earlier this month, the community was set ablaze following the inflation of Hearthstone's microtransactions. The price surge left many players criticizing the game and its developers - one user says that "in a game which the cost of entry is super high for new players, they also decide to piss off their core fanbase." Furthermore, the community was even more frustrated due to the controversial removal of the Adventures, one of Hearthstone's annual card-bearing events. Many players thought that this was a very greedy move by Blizzard, which complemented the price hike significantly well.
How will Blizzard redeem Hearthstone's former glory? Will the company be able to salvage the remains of its popular CCG? Check back for more Hearthstone news and updates!
