It is difficult not to call this incompetence when a known Heroes of the Storm issue has gone years without a permanent fix.
For a very long time, Battle.net has forced users to “prepare game data,” verify files, or redownload part of the game almost every time HOTS is launched. This is not a new issue, it does not affect just one user, and it is not permanently fixed by reinstalling the game, clearing the cache, or setting everything to the same language.
What makes it even more frustrating is that the most effective workaround is to bypass Blizzard’s own launcher and start the game directly through a different executable. In other words, players have to find alternative methods to avoid a problem that the company should have fixed years ago.
It is also frustrating that Battle.net continues to suffer from ridiculously slow download speeds, long initialization phases, and constant file checks, while the usual support responses are limited to generic recommendations that often solve nothing.
Blizzard is not a small company with limited resources. Allowing known issues that directly damage the user experience to persist for so many years gives the impression of neglect, lack of interest, and extremely poor technical management.
As a player, I find it unacceptable to lose time every time I want to launch a game simply because Blizzard has not considered such an old issue worth fixing. HOTS may be in maintenance mode, but its players are still customers and deserve a product that works properly.