Heroes of the Storm has finally had it’s big reveal. The cinematic trailer is, typically, ace, but now we’ve seen gameplay and had the full story told to us at BlizzCon, we can now start to get really, really excited. Game director Dustin Browder was on hand to explain how Heroes of the Storm is essentially “Blizzard: The Game”.
“Heroes of the Storm is an homage to all the amazing games that have been created by our players over the many years,” said Browder at the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2013. “We have been blown away by the game you have made. Our communities have helped to create the tower defense genre. Our communities helped create the ‘hero brawler’ genre that has gone on to take on all of gaming.”
“Back in 2010, we had an assignment to make one map for Blizzcon, to show how our tools worked inside of Starcraft 2. We made this map, and brought it to Blizzcon. You loved it…. It was at one point, it was just a map. As we’ve taken it, our expectations, your expectations have changed.”
Browder then went on to show a video of the Heroes of the Storm alpha in action. As expected it looks familiar, but already with that Blizzard sheen. But as Browder continued to explain what Heroes of the Storm was about, it became clear that this isn’t just another MOBA. We’ve heard other developers talk about MOBA 2.0, but Heart of the Storm feels like it genuinely may be that.
“We’ve got to challenge the genre,” stated Browder. “Our battlegrounds are not just maps, they’re worlds with their own ways to play.” On the map Blackhearts Bay, for example, players will have to collect enough gold to turn on the cannons of a ghostly ship and unload a broadside of cannonballs onto their enemies. Another map will see players go underground, collect skulls, combine them with necromantic magic, and summon a massive golem that will charge across the battleground. Heroes of the Storm suddenly sounds much more dynamic than your regular MOBA.
As the presentation came to a close, Dustin Browder dropped the kicker: Beta signups go live today. Look toward the Heroes of the Storm website and log in with your Battle.net account to be a part of the next big MOBA.