E3 Announces new Virtual Card Games - Will Hearthstone see Competition?

With new virtual card games announced at E3, will Hearthstone see competition to their renowned fame?

Just this Monday, June 13^th, Gwent was announced to be coming out soon for PC. It is a TBS based around different rounds to be taken or lost off of your opponent with just 10 cards. This game was playable within the game Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Surprisingly, one of the game’s most popular aspects was the ability to go to an in game bar and play cards with NPC’s and friends alike.

Apparently, there was a surprisingly large call from the player base for a standalone Gwent game, which would feature multiplayer and ranking systems. Now, Hearthstone is not unfamiliar with competition. Games like Duelyst and Runescape Chronicles Legends have tried their best against it, but did not come close to the Blizzard fanbase. Now, since this game was not only played before, but was also heavily requested, could it become a competitor to the professional scene of Hearthstone?

Bethesda also announced Elder Scrolls: Legends, a virtual card game revolving around the Elder Scrolls universe, using mechanics like health total management and lane placement to add a strategic depth to the game. While I myself was not able to play it personally, It has been reviewed that it is surprisingly complicated, which is why I don’t think it will compete with Hearthstone as well as Gwent will. Hearthstone’s popularity comes from its simplicity, and the interestingly deep mechanics that players have derived from it since its release in 2014.

In the end, Hearthstone may come to see some competition in the months to come. There has been a surprising amount of hype surrounding these two games, and how Blizzard reacts to this new competition will be crucial in the months to come.