Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Blizzard had a lot to say about its catalog of games during the BlizzConline Opening Ceremony. There was a lot to say about World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Hearthstone. However, one noteworthy omission was Heroes of the Storm, the publisher's continuing MOBA. While there doesn't look to be anything new for the game, players do have something to get excited about. On Saturday, Blizzard announced that all of Heroes of the Storm's playable characters would be free to play for the next month.
As some may have guessed, the 30-day free trial is to celebrate the 30 years of Blizzard Entertainment. BlizzConline, as a whole, has been a celebration of Blizzard's past, as evidenced by the announcements for Diablo 2 Resurrected and The Blizzard Arcade Collection. There's arguably no bigger celebration of the publisher's three decades than Heroes of the Storm itself, which collects heroes and villains from the publisher's rich history. There are a whopping 90 playable characters pulled from the Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, Overwatch, and classic Blizzard universes. Hero prices normally vary and start around the range of 750-1,000 Gems or 15,000 Gold. This is the second consecutive year that Blizzard has opened up the full Heroes of the Storm roster for free period.
The last few years for Heroes of the Storm have been complicated. Hours after the departure of former CEO Mike Morhaime, Blizzard almost immediately took an axe to the development team and esports division. However, while this seemed to spell doom for the game, things started to turn around with new characters and an affirmation that the game will continue on with no end in sight. Even with that proclamation of life, though, there was little Heroes of the Storm presence during this BlizzConline weekend.
All Heroes of the Storm characters are free to play from now through March 20. There's more to report on from BlizzConline. Stay tuned to Shacknews for the latest news.