During our stay at Gamescom, Blizzard granted us the opportunity of a Q&A with Kaeo Milker, the Senior Game Producer for Heroes of the Storm, and we were able to ask him about what was about to come and how the game’s evolution was progressing.
Milker guided us into a room with Heroes of the Storm playing on a big screen, and talked to us about the game, how it’s a twist of the current MOBA genre, taking the bits people don’t like and converting it into something they like, while also adding their own touch on some mechanics and features.
First of all, they got rid of the first phase of a match during which players are farming EXP and gold to have a good start into the action. So matches in Heroes of the Storm are 15-20 minutes of packed action instead of 40-60 minutes of which only the half is interesting, which currently is the standard with MOBAs.
They moreover took the complexity and nonsense of buying items and having an animal bringing it to you, and changed it for a talent system. Each time players level up, they get to specialise into a role by picking from different options, which is much easier and keeps them focused on combat.
And finally, they also implemented unique mechanics on each battleground (map) which makes for a new layer of strategy and gameplay. They try to keep it as an option, something to do, so killing enemies and doing things across the map are all means to one purpose; winning the match, and players can choose what they want to go for.
The monetisation model Blizzard is going for is very open, all content will be available to players without spending a cent However, there will be free heroes rotating each week, so you will get to play your favourite heroes you once in a while. And if you enjoy playing them a lot, you can simply buy them with the gold you earn by playing. There are also cosmetic items, pets, mounts, skins, and new models for the heroes; some of which are unlockable and others can be bought with gold.
So it’s the best approach a free-to-play title can take, you can get stuff by playing and earning gold or just pay and get it right away. Yet there are some cosmetic items locked for one of these two ways, because they want to keep them for hero progression or for the shop to feel unique, which is totally fine as long as it doesn’t affect gameplay.
In the long run, they will release new battlegrounds, heroes and pretty much increase the content and available options, allowing players to always find something new, and of course it will be at no cost.
The Senior Game Producer also told us they were planning to get into e-sports as they have done with WoW Arenas, Starcraft II and Hearthstone, they have an e-sport department at Blizzard Entertainment so they will be working on it and we’ll be seeing tournaments and matches when the game launches.
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