The ratio of chatters who would be deliberately obnoxious vs those who wouldn't, would need to massively swing in the direction of the latter in order to even be considered. Right now the obnoxious chunk of the pie would be too large, way too large.
It is not a question of free speech but Blizzard's freedom to choose what features they have in their game. I am sure they would not want hearthstone to get a reputation of having a toxic in game chat for a couple of reasons and they know that for most players, a toxic chat is is a negative for the overall enjoyment of the game. You could make it toggable on or off or add block features but before they do it there needs to be enough good reasons to go to the trouble of adding it and I don't think there are enough.
Not to mention that it may be awkward with having a smooth, functional chat interface across all platforms which works fluidly and will not be a pain to use.
Personally I would be ok with a chat feature because I can block out all the noise and will enjoy the times when a good chat gets going but overall I do not think it is a good idea.
Could probably even get worse than the HearthPwn forums. ;)
The ratio of chatters who would be deliberately obnoxious vs those who wouldn't, would need to massively swing in the direction of the latter in order to even be considered. Right now the obnoxious chunk of the pie would be too large, way too large.
It is not a question of free speech but Blizzard's freedom to choose what features they have in their game. I am sure they would not want hearthstone to get a reputation of having a toxic in game chat for a couple of reasons and they know that for most players, a toxic chat is is a negative for the overall enjoyment of the game. You could make it toggable on or off or add block features but before they do it there needs to be enough good reasons to go to the trouble of adding it and I don't think there are enough.
Not to mention that it may be awkward with having a smooth, functional chat interface across all platforms which works fluidly and will not be a pain to use.
Personally I would be ok with a chat feature because I can block out all the noise and will enjoy the times when a good chat gets going but overall I do not think it is a good idea.