I’ve been looking at the posts over the last couple of days, and one thing that I see is a lot of really upset hearthstone players. And usually, negatives posts, rants, and rage quit posts are just easily ignored. However, this time it feels different, not just because of what people are posting, but from my own personal experience as well.
Having been a free to FTP player in the past, I can relate to how many of the players feel. I have been keeping up with expansions. I know first hand how expensive they are and how much more they are now compared to previous expansions.
Now I can’t speak for people, but while there are a lot of frustrations and anger, I don’t think everything being said is literal (maybe some) but for the most part, when people are mad, they sometimes say things they don’t literally mean out of anger, or they don’t convey what they mean because they are vague and subjective.
There are genuine concerns from players who actually really enjoy this game, and the sentiment I’m getting is that if they don’t have the funds to buy the expansion, they are not valued, however, at the same time, there are also a lot of players who have paid for the expansion that feel as though they are also not valued because the overall “VALUE” that use to come in expansion packs has been reduced, while at the same time the overall cost for the expansion has increased. There is also the increase in the amount of time invested in the game to get rewards.
It’s expensive to keep up to date with this game, I know from my personal experience. However, I will admit the cost of the game does not feel justified. When other games release expansions, and you buy the expansion, you get the full content for the expansion.
There are a total of 135 cards in this expansion. When you hear players talking about how they bought both pre orders which was well over 600 cards and only getting 4-5 legendries from opening all the packs, and considering there are 24 new legendries in total, even when you factor in the 2 bonus Legendries you get in the reward map, it feels like a kick to the stomach, for lack of a better term. Then its compounded by no longer getting arena tickets with the pre orders, having to spend extra to get the battle pass, which include only 2 free arena tickets, compared to the 4 that players use to get when they preordered.
I do feel that Blizzard needs to address this. And here’s why. This recent expansion is almost like the straw that broke the camels back. Players who were hyped up only to be disappointed in what they got is widespread. And if it’s left unaddressed, its going to fester, and players will become more disgruntled. When you have so many players so upset about the game, it’s going to turn a lot of paternal new players off, and all the negativity is going to sour it for even some of the happy players.
To all the players who feel angry, and upset, I get where you’re coming from. My suggestion to you guys is, rather than posting a rage rant that will easily be dismissed as just another jaded player, tell them how you genuinely feel constructively, be respectful in your post, because when you convey your message that say’s something like “Hi Blizzard I really love headstone for x,y,z, reasons, but the cost is out of my league and I no longer feel valued as a player, yada yada yada” would hold more credence and taken seriously.
At the end of the day this is meant to be fun, an experience where we can engage in a game where we leave our troubles aside to indulge in a card game. But if the overall experience resonates with such negativity, frustration, or lack of value, than there are major issues that need to be addressed, which can only come from the developers of the game.
I personally hope that things change, because while I do really enjoy this game, I do not see myself pre ordering future expansions if costs continue to rise because its not sustainable. Like if I were to try to make the argument to a friend who might be interested in the game, I can’t justify the overall cost that they would need to invest in order to be on a level playing field if they were looking to play competitively (ladder) in Standard, and certainly not in Wild.
I think its really important that blizzard directly addresses the cost of the game. I feel that it would be a mistake not to. At the end of the day, if so many players are this upset, you can’t just ignore it, because that sends a really bad message to players like myself. I mean if you’re a Blizzard employee look at my account, look at how much I’ve spent on this game. I’m certainly not a player you would want leaving.
Anyway, this is my take on the current situation.