Following the critical response to the recent card art changes (review our Patch 14.6 coverage here), Blizzard has spoken with a journalist from Kotaku in order to bring more clarity to the situation:
Quote from BlizzardThe recent changes were applied to make those cards more visually cohesive and consistent with the art style of Hearthstone today. When Hearthstone first launched, we brought in a lot of artwork from the physical World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. In the years since, Hearthstone has developed a look, feel, and personality of its own that distinguishes it from that of Warcraft — though we still love being a part of that universe. We’ll always be looking for ways to deliver on the game’s unique style, charm, and personality.
(Lead Mission Designer) Dave Kosak also spoke with PC Gamer to discuss his views on the reasons for the changes:
Quote from PC GamerBlizzard made changes to the artwork on eight Hearthstone cards yesterday (and changed the names of two of them), and the reaction was not entirely positive. Multiple posters in this Reddit thread, for instance, speculate that the sex and violence was dialed back in order to be in line with Chinese regulations. That would not be unprecedented: China's gaming market is heavily censored, and Blizzard has previously made changes to World of Warcraft visuals in order to comply with regulations.In this case, however, China had nothing to do with it. Lead mission designer Dave Kosak told us that after reviewing the full Hearthstone set, Blizzard decided that the art on some of the cards simply didn't meet its standards, and that Blizzard "wouldn't print those same cards today."
Quote fromWe went back and really just brought everything up to our standards. It wasn't because we were looking at ratings, or international [regulations], or anything like that. We really just wanted our artists to feel good about everything in the set.Succubus underwent the most complete transformation: The stats and effect are the same, but the sexy cruel demons who "slake their lust with coupling" are out, and pack-hunting "demonic beasts" are in. Mistress of Pain (now Queen of Pain), Secretkeeper, and Windfury Harpy have also had the sexy factor dialed back, while Bite, Eviscerate, and Deadly Shot are now less graphically violent.
Kosak confirmed that some of the changes were aimed at toning down the portrayals of sex and violence in the game (although designer Liv Breeden noted that one card, Headcrack, was updated because it was just too dark and hard to read) but emphasized:
Quote from[...The decision was driven not by external forces] but just kind of bringing it up to the standards we felt really good about today.
I wonder how this is connected to "their standards" because if you look at Eviscerate, they just removed the blood. This tells me, that they are bullshitting us. :(
This exactly. It is ridiculous they say they "just brought everything to our standard". No one ever complained about those artworks and they were totally fine, and no sane person would allocate resources to change something for no financial reason
No fix on Kill Command though.
The Redditors are trying to "save" us from "censorship". What a laugh. Reddit is nothing but the biggest collection of whining, censoring and hypocritical goons that exist in social media. Reddit has so many fucking "rules" of posting its a joke. You can't even respond to what is completely stupid and false bullshit by calling the poster out for their stupid bullshit without your response being completely removed. Call someone a fucking idiot and oh no you get a "BAN"...oh boy a BAN! Reddit is snowflake-land where they do nothing but tell each other how wonderful they all are. They need to change the name of Reddit to SafeSpace.
of course its a lie. Blizzard does not give two-fucks about any of its customers or what they think. Corporations are nothing but something to take advantage of if you work for one. I have no loyalty to the fortune 500 I work for and do as little as I possibly can. I do not give a fuck if the place burns down after I leave. Every employee in a corporation is another cog in the money wheel and that is all anyone will ever be. Once you get over the fact that a corporation doesn't give a fuck about anything except making money you will understand and appreciate the way they do things. I take as much as I can get and give back as little as possible because, in the end, no corporation gives a fuck how hard you work or how much you contribute. They will toss your ass to the wind when you are no longer needed. As a person who owns 1000 shares of this company I hope they sell as much shit to as many stupid fucking people who will buy it until I cash the fuck out and move on. If this means changing the art on the cards to reflect what communist China wants then so be it. China has A LOT more idiots to sell games to than the US does and that's the bottom line. Why do you think Blizzard is going mobile anyway...because that is where the money is. This isn't about some 60's anti-war, let's pretend we care about some greater good bullshit; this is about MONEY. Yes, the statement they released is pure fucking bullshit and they don't give a fuck, to put it bluntly. If you don't like the game then don't play. They don't give a fuck about you anyway because they have another million morons who still give them money. People on Reddit are nothing more than a collection of 60's wannabe's looking for something to bitch about together so they can pretend to matter in the world. Blizzard released the statement to appease them into thinking they "made" them do it. Sorry, Reddit you didn't make Blizzard do anything except give a plausible reason to why the art was changed that smacked the "Chinese reason" right off your faces and discredited your whole group of nothings even more.
You really want Blizzard to listen to you here is how you do it and it's very simple. Stop BUYING anything the company makes and do so on a MASSIVE scale. Get 500,000 people to stop playing and buying Hearthstone cards until they change the art back. Unless you do something that immediately affects the bottom line that they can feel and see each quarter they will do what they want.
US corporations do not look past 3 months when they do things. All they give a shit about is profits NOW, NOW, NOW. They don't think about profits 2-5 years from now or even if the game is going to be around 2-5 years from now.
You really want to tell corporations how to do shit become a shareholder and invest your money. When you actually "own" the company you can tell the CEO he's a fucking dick and if he doesn't increase your value his ass is gone. Stop whining on Reddit and start participating in the real world.
Until then you can keep on bitching about the art and whining about how Blizzard bends you over. You will keep hitting that "buy button" in the store and making them and all of us actual "owners" laugh. You are nothing but a means to an end and don't you ever forget that.
I agree, that's why I'm not buying this new restart of league of explorers. May be I'm alone, may be, I don't care. I just don't like to eat shit even if other says it's a chocolate.
If someone feels so strongly about this that they stop playing: 1. Whatever, they can stop for any reason they want, but 2. Something's clearly wrong with them. This not only isn't a big deal AT ALL but there are valid reasons for the change (not that I believe Blizzard's doing it for the right reason, given their track record, but it's certainly nothing to complain about that they coincidentally are doing something justifiable).
maybe is one word
They should have censored Secretkeeper dumb laugh, not her ass...
My God, this is biggest outcry over the stupidest thing. No nerf in hearthstone history had this much outrage, and this has no effect on gameplay at all.
If you want to see near naked women, go on the internet. Who cares? If something doesn't affect you, don't go bitching about it. If this change affects you, you need to get a life.
As long as the gameplay is good, I couldn't care less about the artwork
The problem is not the art change its:
1º Unconfirmed pandering to the chinese market
2ºBlizzard starting to censor cards ( no defense to cold blood and bite those were clearly censored)
Its whats behind the cards changes thats the problem
You come onto the forums and call everyone a "virginite" and then you're surprised that they downvoted you? MyGuy common sense is completely lost on you isn't it?
O wait you then state that everyone that downvoted you is a republitard. Jesus, you never even had a glimmer of hope for common sense, you're just as programmed as the cards in this game.
This shallow pandering cowardly flavourless corporate Hearthstone is not the game I started playing all those years ago.
I'm not mad though, I'll just play something else. No big deal.
First they came for Jaina Proudmoore, and I did not speak out—
Because I did not play mage.
Then they came for the Secretkeeper, and I did not speak out—
Because I did not play sectet decks.
Then they came for Succubus, and I did not speak out—
Because I did not play her in my zoo deck.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
You made me laugh thank you.
Actually, First they came for Evil Heckler no one but me seemed to notice that edit to his art they snuck in years ago...
This is not an update to game but pure censorship. And censorship is bad for humanity overall. There is no proven theory that it should ever do any good. Every artist fights against it. So it should every user. But I guess we can't do shit about it.
people can vote with their wallet. i won't spend a single cent this time. but yeah most of the outrageous reactions here are pointless when they throw 150€ for the next expansion at blizztard again
I doubt there is a person who actually believe that ... Bullshit company