We love to be the bearers of good news, and we’re doing just that. You’ll be pleased to know that Blizzard has released Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft into the open beta stage, which means that the days of sniping the internet for potential beta-key giveaways are over. That’s right, going to the official Hearthstone website will now show you a huge “Play for free” button. Unfortunately, the Hearthstone open beta is only available in the US and Canada for now, but Blizzard has promised that Hearthstone will be made available in more areas this week.
Originally planned for a December open beta release, Hearthstone took a little bit more to be properly polished. Blizzard took its time to balance out the game as much as possible, as seein in the recentĀ Hearthstone patch. Regardless, it’s here now, and you can get into the popular card-game now. You will need a Battle.net account to be able to play the game though. You’ll also need some time and patience, as the game has a rather difficult learning curve and frustration can appear quickly. Don’t throw objects at your screen if you keep loosing at first, and don’t be tempted to buy your way to victory. While some decks can be purchased, winning is more about skill than it is about funds. Give the game some time, and you’ll love it to bits.
Screenshot of the Hearthstone copy-cat, Legend of Crouching Dragon
In other news and in parallel to the launch of Hearthstone’s open beta phase, Blizzard has filed a law suit against Chinese developer Unico, based on copyright infringement claims. Unico had developed a mobile game entitled Legend of Crouching Dragon, which is nothing more than a shameless clone. It’s not even similar, it’s more like identical, apart from the differences in language. Blizzard is seeking $1.65 million in damages, as well as the immediate shutdown of the Chinese clone game.
While it’s currently available for the PC and Mac, Hearthstone will be made available for the iOS and Android mobile devices later this year. But enough reading, time for you to download Hearthstone and see what the fuss is about yourself!