Answering one of questions on his AMA tonight, Iksar said:
We’ve been split internally for a long time. At this point there is enough internal positivity for it that getting a pitch for exactly where it would exist and look like is just something we should look at to see if we like it.
I don’t understand the complaint about having an auto-squelch and I don’t understand why they don’t implement the option if players want it.
Makes no sense to me, especially the part where they haven’t implemented it.
If players are clicking squelch at the beginning of the match, but they don’t want to implement a system where players can cancel communication with each other, then why have a squelch option to begin with?
Blizzard has decided they want to treat players like commodities, so it doesn’t surprise me that they’re leaning toward letting players do it to each other as well.
Honesty I don’t mind emotes. Some of the interactions when mistakes are made or the match is taken super lightly and both players are having fun is some of the best enjoyment I’ve had from Hearthstone.
That can be said about a LOT of QoL changes for Hearthstone UI. This game is a decade behind on inovation and improvements. 
Can I pitch for paid customized emotes? Comes in golden and diamond versions too!
emotes are cool. i love all the characters and their personalities. a little bit of role-playing never hurt anyone (probably). isnt that the point of all the different portraits?
i guess some people just take the game way too seriously. just have fun you squelching weirdos
I’ll be for it only if the auto-squelch hits both players in a match. If a player puts the other player on mute, he or she should not have the ability to emote.
It occurred to me… ”at this point”… what has/had change since then? What is internal positivity?
What constitute something that a dev should consider and what not?
so confused…
So after the community asked for auto-squelch for the last 6 years, they finally decided actually listening to users might work.
Wow, open a champagne bottle, they finally might actually do something about the emote spam.
Light help us.
What a triumph!
It’s a god damn emote squelch, it’s not like you’re deciding to add a class or something. How are you “split internally” over something so ridiculous and something everyone wants.
If you are “split internally”, that means there are some developers at Blizzard who somehow don’t want people to squelch emotes.
Are these same people against lowering the volume of the game or something? How can you possible be against blocking emote spam.
It’s very encouraging and great to hear. I’m hopeful they’ll have more to share soon and maybe see something implemented in the next expansion.
How is simplifying a system that already exists in the game mean that players are treating each other as commodities any more than they are right now?
Yes. Plenty of your fellow players like them, but I don’t (obviously). Squelching doesn’t keep you from emoting; it merely keeps your opponent from seeing them.
And that’s great for you. You will always be able to emote to your hearts content. Squelching simply makes it so I don’t see or hear the emote. You still see and hear it on your end. Auto-squelch merely makes it so those of us who don’t like the emotes wouldn’t have to squelch every single match and oftentimes multiple times per match.
I take the game VERY lightly. I play mostly meme decks or combo decks.
And when you resort to obnoxious name-calling, you demonstrate why many of us use squelch and would like to see it improved.
Why? I mean if that’s how that do it, that’s fine. I don’t use the emotes anyway. But why does it matter to you? It’s not like you know if you’re squelched.
How about a little check box right below the “Allow Friends to Spectate” check box?
You know exactly what I’m talking about, it’s not worth rehashing again. Just be happy you’re likely to get your one biggest wish fulfilled and kindly avoid rubbing my nose in it.
nice
Long overdue. Hope it becomes a reality
Because the paid psychiatrists said that it would sell packs. They know that people will get pissed off because they got beat by someone with a better minion pool and will spend money. They actually patented it with CoD. It is there because it will make them money. No one wants emotes, no one every has. They have never added anything to this game other than to piss people off into buying packs.
Well that’s not true. I find emotes to be fun and I know plenty of other players who do as well.
Not everyone is a weak-minded pile of salt that’s willing to slash their own purse because they didn’t get the dopamine fix that they wanted.
Auto-squelch is the one and only reason I installed hearthstone Deck Tracker.
I mean, it sounds like people like you are why others are asking squelch to be an option to begin with
I’m pretty sure emotes have been getting more BM-y over time though, so I don’t think that guy is that far off
That is what makes them so great though