Not having much free time to dedicate to World of Warcraft anymore, Hearthstone plays a pretty big part in my gaming life. It's a game that I can play in between meetings, right before bed, or waiting at the doctor's office. And while Hearthstone is easily one of my favorite games of 2015, there's something missing.
Let's get physical!
Growing up in the 90's, trading card games were one of my go-to, non-athletic hobbies. I remember collecting, trading, and playing with Pokémon cards for years, and I'd by lying if I said that I didn't relive that experience a few years ago. (I bought several thousand cards on eBay. Don't judge!)
Trading cards that can be held and displayed have always been part of these games, and it's the one thing that I feel is missing from Hearthstone.
But, Hearthstone is digital...
You're absolutely right, it is, and I don't expect players to stop playing digitally, but I do believe there's a large group of players out there who would gobble up physical Hearthstone cards, if given the opportunity.
Best of both worlds
If Blizzard offered physical versions of their Hearthstone cards, key features could include:
- Themed booster backs (Classic, Goblin vs Gnomes)
- 10 cards per pack
- Minimum of 2 rare cards (or better) in each pack
- Digital code to add the cards in-game (QR code to quickly scan on mobile)
The key feature here would be the ability to add the cards you receive in the physical packs, to your digital game.
They're collectibles!
As previously mentioned, if Blizzard offered physical Hearthstone cards, I don't expect players to jump ship away from the digital version. In fact, I imagine that most players who would purchase the physical cards would be doing so strictly for their collection. You know the deal; unpacked cards go straight into sleeves!
Financially sound?
This is an area I can't give a definitive answer on. In-game, 2 packs (containing 10 cards) sells for $2.99. To make up for a potential loss, Blizzard could easily bump up the price of physical booster packs to $3.99 and still sell a ton of them. I'd personally prefer if they kept the packs at $2.99, but if it doesn't make financial sense, $3.99 would be acceptable. *Throws money at Blizzard*
Is this realistic?
Unfortunately, this will probably never see the light of day. Blizzard seems set on keeping Hearthstone in the digital world. We shall see...