We’re well used to the idea of broken betas and iffy early access by now, but Heroes of the Storm launched in something called Technical Alpha. Blizzard couldn’t have made the thing sound less finished if they’d asked testers to wear hard hats for the duration of play.
But it was good! Noted critics called Heroes of the Storm a triumph. And feedback has been such that Blizzard are now confident enough to tell their investors that the game is “very good” – an accessible entry point to the already hugely popular MOBA genre.
“We think that there is an opportunity to make the genre even more approachable for new players,” said CEO Mike Morhaime. “I think that it can skew very hardcore, and there is definitely room for improvement in that area while still maintaining the depth and replayability that exist there.”
“The game is already very fun,” said Morhaime. “We are getting really good feedback from the people that are currently helping us test it.
“Early feedback has been very positive, with many media talking about Heroes’ unique gameplay design, which is tailored to be more welcoming for newcomers to the genre.”
It’s that “fresh take”, combined with the enduring appeal of characters from Blizzard’s other games, that the developers have sold their investors on.
“In terms of the opportunity, it is a proven genre,” added Morhaime. “I mean, you can see that some of the existing games in the genre have achieved a very high level of success.”
Blizzard said they were “looking forward” to ushering more players into the alpha in the future, and noted that NetEase and Asiasoft are working to bring the game to China and Southeast Asia respectively.
Are you in the habit of fullscreening Twitch in an attempt to feel closer to HotS?