If you're a regular Heroes of the Storm player such as myself, we have some slightly unfortunate news for you today. In a blog post published yesterday, Blizzard announced that its attempt at a more fast-paced, casual MOBA isn't going quite as well as it hoped.
Whether the game is profitable but simply not making enough revenue to compete with the likes of League of Legends and DOTA 2, or unprofitable and actively losing money, we may never know.
Regardless, as a result of either of those two scenarios (or another, unknown one), Blizzard is taking some of Heroes' resources and most talented developers and bringing them to "other projects," whatever that means.
So, how will this decision affect the game? To start with, all future official Heroes of the Storm eSports plans are being cancelled, effective immediately. This includes the annual Heroes Global Championship, and the Heroes of the Dorm tournament.
Beyond that, players can likely expect to see new heroes get released at a slower rate, and new content (such as new maps, skins, or game modes) will undoubtedly be reduced in scope.
To be clear, this news does not necessarily mean that Blizzard will be shutting the game down anytime soon. Cosmetic microtransactions such as the ones Heroes of the Storm uses will probably be enough to keep it running in "maintenance mode" for years to come. However, it does represent a shift in Blizzard's focus, and only time will tell where their new focus lies.