Hearthstone's Hadidjah Chamberlain, Lead FX Artist, confirmed in an interview that a Hearthstone Virtual Reality (VR) prototype was developed internally. This news comes to us courtesy of an interview Blizzard did when PowerUp!.
During Blizzard's annual "Free Your Mind" event, an internal hackathon where developers can work on whatever they'd like, two developers prototyped a version of Hearthstone that made use of Virtual Reality. It featured:
- Walking around a Tavern.
- Sitting down to play a game with someone.
- Throwing cards at the table.
- Flipping the table over.
I can certainly say that there have been more times than I can count where I'd love to flip over the table when playing Hearthstone, but that possibly being a reality would be awesome.
Dave Kosak, who was also present for the interview, stated he didn't want to talk about the prototype because everyone would want to see it. You are indeed correct, Dave.
Quote From Hadidjah Chamberlain They actually prototyped a VR version of Hearthstone during that time. You could walk around The Tavern and sit down to play a game with someone.
They only had two weeks, so they only got as far [allowing you to] throw cards at the table and you could flip the table over!
Hearthstone at Past Free Your Mind Events
This isn't the first time we've heard about Blizzard's internal Free Your Mind event and last year, two features that made it into Hearthstone were because of the event. These two features were added in Patch 14.4.0 (Build 31268) and meant players were able to see their collections offline and reconnect seamlessly to more than just games. Disconnect during deckbuilding? You could return right back where you left off!
This isn't to say that Hearthstone VR will ever become a thing everyone will be able to play, but there certainly is precedent to suggest it isn't impossible to see something from an internal hackathon make its way to the public.
Quote From Evan Polekoff Today's Hearthstone patch has 2 new QoL features that I wrote as Hackathon (aka "Free Your Mind") projects over the past two years: Offline Collection and Seamless Reconnect!
https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/blog/22992997/hearthstone-update-june-3-rise-of-the-mech
Would you like to see Hearthstone's VR prototype? Would you be interested in playing Hearthstone in VR?
Comments
Hmmmm....isn't there a tournament mode you're supposed to be working on blizzard?
Unless VR allows you to rub your golden legendaries at your opponent's face, I can't see the attraction of developing something like this.
Hmm... so I can spend ~$600 to "upgrade" my opponents' churlish behavior from spamming emotes and rage-quitting to virtually slamming cards down and virtually flipping the table in my face? You will perhaps understand if I am not more excited.
Hey, good news everyone: you can flip a table in real life, you don't need VR for it!
But in VR you could just find a new match instead of cleaning up the mess of cards!
I imagine you would play as the hero you have, and hold the cards like you would hold objects in other vr games.
I guess it would be like the new cinematics they do where the little guy pops up refer to the "win or lose" cinematic with the murlocs and sheep. I wonder if the heroes would be models like in WoW or we'd just stare at hero portraits with hands floating around them
Interested to see it in VR? Sure why not as long as it doesn't hinder ones ability to play the game. Interested in playing it in VR? Nope.
The mouse is part of me for "from the moment I open my eyes, it's in my blood like cheap wine, bitter and sweet, tinged with regret. I'll never be free of it, nor do I want to be. For it is what I am, all that is and should always be."
Had to double check today's date...
Agree.. sounds like an april fool joke.. lol
This sounds like an out of season april fools joke - but it isn't!
Like the way they give devs the freedom to come up with whatever they like for a few weeks year.
VR... interesting interesting too bad I'm kinda losing interest in hearthstone in favor of Runeterra
Same here, i gotta say it's good as a game. Hope to see you soon there!
Do we get pre-nerf Jaina?
Asking the real questions, Poorwotan. I appreciate that.
I thought about it long and hard!!!
There is an easy 'long and hard' joke in there, but I don't want this to Devolve into a Reddit thread.