Bluetracker

Tracks Blizzard employees across various accounts.

Curious Design: Team 5's Secret Weapon (Their Sound Team)

Love Hearthstone or Hate it (/r/hearthstone does both) the one thing everyone agrees on: the famous Blizzard Polish is a real thing, and Hearthstone's overall presentation and interface is second to none.

Sound makes Hearthstone feel alive

I'd bet that Blizzard took the old BNET 2.0 lesson ("it feels so lonely" was a constant complaint back then) to heart, it's no coincidence that the Innkeeper greets you with:

• "Ha! Find a seat if you can"
• "Weeelcome! Boys, make some room by the hearth wont'ya!"
• "Busy night, but there's always room for another!"

You can imagine the inn, the crowd, the fire. It's lively and full, welcoming and warm. It's really amazing how much gets communicated in that first 10 seconds, before you even click on anything.

• "woooaahhhaaa GOLDEN LEGENDARY!"

The innkeeper is the ultimate hype man. The way his voice cracks when he's freaking out over a golden legendary is friggin legendary.

It's not just the innkeeper

The cheers of the crowd, the voices in the background. Hearthstone's soundscape is lush and full. Little touches: click the shop button and that little bell ring, as if you were opening the door of a real shop.

Hearthstone's music just blends into the game. So many games have music you need to mute, or that get's annoying after a while. I don't think it's coincidence that Kripp still hasn't muted the music, even after all these years.

Fable 2 Pub Games, a core inspiration?

I'd bet a major inspiration for the original design was from "Fable 2 Pub Games", the voices in the background, the smooth rolling tones of the music. Finding great inspiration is big part of doing great work, and "Pub Games" is a hidden gem of great sound design.

"I KNEW IT!"

How many cards can you identify just from the voice? How many cards can you quote?

• "I feel icky!"
• "OBLIVION!"
• "Mind if I roll NEEED?"

The jokes, the personality, the story telling. So many of the cards have full stories that are told just by the name of the card and the entrance quote.

Next time you open up Hearthstone, listen to it.

In games, great sound fills in the environment around you, and helps fill the world around you, even when you never see it with your eyes. Sound plays a huge role in Hearthstone.

Team 5's sound team is one of the best in the business.

Tweet