A decade ago, DOTA 2 and League of Legends were the top MOBAs. These days, the two names still reign on top of the genre that it arguably created. But, in between, one game threatened to take a huge chunk of the admittedly dwindling MOBA market. Heroes of the Storm, a fever dream of a game featuring characters from multiple Blizzard Entertainment properties, was that game. But, in an unfortunate twist, Blizzard pulled the plug on it and the community has scraped by ever since. However, with the recent update, fans can’t help but speculate and hope that the storm has finally come to pass.
For context, it’s been over a year since Blizzard put Heroes of the Storm on the backburner, all but putting it to pasture, not quite unlike what Rockstar Games did with Red Dead Online. Despite earmarking it for maintenance mode, wherein Blizzard had committed to “supporting” the game, similarly to how it handles other longstanding titles such as StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft II, this new update is more robust than what has been seen in recent times. It features a slew of user interface changes, balance modifications, and an extensive array of bug resolutions.
Interestingly, this patch follows Microsoft’s official acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The fact there’s new management in Microsoft at the helm, which has expressed interest in breathing new life into older titles, has led to a huge spike in optimism. Fans are rightfully hopeful that Microsoft is rejuvenating Heroes of the Storm with a more formal revival announcement at BlizzCon 2023 on November 3-4.
However, despite the admirable positivity shown by the remaining handful of players, Heroes of the Storm’s chances of making a grand reentry into the MOBA scene are slim. The MOBA landscape is already densely populated by the titans like League of Legends and Dota 2. Plus, with fewer players to go around, there’s minimal room for Heroes of the Storm to operate and establish a robust presence. Don’t forget, Heroes of the Storm had become relatively niche when compared to its colossal competitors by the tail end of its lifecycle.
Adding another layer to this intricate narrative is the actual content of the update. Blizzard’s focus, as evident from the patch notes, remains on improving game mechanics and resolving longstanding issues. Key updates include alterations to icons for improved visibility and critical changes to the Observer UI, a tool employed to spectate matches. Though the enhancements don’t necessarily indicate a full-blown revival, they hint at Blizzard’s continued commitment to the game.
So, while nothing worth writing home about has come to Heroes of the Storm, the update is no slouch either, which is what paves the way for the question, why now?
If we were to guess, Blizzard wants to bring Heroes of the Storm to Steam. After Overwatch 2 proved a sizable audience for Blizzard’s biggest games on Valve’s industry leading platform exists, it has brought over others, namely, Diablo 4. Although Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 hasn’t had the best reviews on the platform – Overwatch 2 is the worst-reviewed game on Steam and Diablo 4 isn’t doing any better at all – each game’s concurrent player base speaks volumes about the move’s success. If nothing else, making Heroes of the Storm available on Steam is a prudent Hail Mary move that could introduce it to a vast new audience with minimal risk.
If Heroes of the Storm enjoys a successful revival in its Steam launch, similar to what’s happening with Battlefield 2042, Blizzard might reconsider pouring more resources into its maintenance. If not, it should encourage Blizzard to bring over StarCraft and WarCraft to Steam. Plus, if it sinks, then there’s no harm done – it’s already dead, anyway.
Of course, there’s the more outlandish theory – Heroes of the Storm is headed to consoles. This idea holds weight when you consider that the world’s leading MOBAs haven’t ventured into the console space, presenting a relatively untapped market.
While the future of Heroes of the Storm remains a topic of speculation, it’s clear Blizzard’s recent update has rekindled interest and hope.
Whether this will translate into a comprehensive revival or remain a supportive gesture is a story that only time will tell. But for now, fans can rejoice in the fact that Blizzard hasn’t abandoned their beloved MOBA, offering a glimmer of hope in uncertain times.
