For years, Heroes of the Storm felt like one of Blizzard's forgotten children. The game remained online, but after Blizzard announced in 2022 that it would only receive necessary updates, a major comeback seemed increasingly unlikely. Then, this year, Blizzard started making noise again.
After its first major update in years arrived in July, Heroes of the Storm returned to the BlizzCon stage with something fans hadn't seen since 2020: a brand-new hero. Xal'atath, the Harbinger of the Void from World of Warcraft, will arrive September 28, with PTR access beginning September 14.
In a roundtable with lead game producer James Yen, we spoke about why Xal'atath was chosen, how her role changed during development, and whether her arrival could be the beginning of something much bigger for Heroes of the Storm.
Xal'atath might seem like an obvious fit for Heroes of the Storm, given her role as a major World of Warcraft character, but the version players are getting wasn't always the plan. “Originally, in the design, we wanted her to be a support character,” Yen said. That idea didn't quite survive. “While we were playtesting that, we were like, hmm, the fun isn't all the way there.”
The team ultimately moved toward making Xal'atath a ranged assassin, which gives her more opportunities to manipulate the battlefield while leaning into her darker personality. “She just has this vibe that is very Heroes,” Yen said. “She's dark, sassy, and the team was looking at it like, what would be cool is putting her in and playing off that sassy vibe.”
That also gave the team plenty of room to interpret the character rather than simply recreate her World of Warcraft abilities.
Xal'atath is more than a new character after six years without one. She's also something of a test for Heroes of the Storm. The game's meta has had years to mature without new heroes, meaning Xal'atath could have a significant impact once players get their hands on her. “I definitely think it'll shake things up,” Yen said.
But Blizzard isn't simply looking at balance. The team wants to see whether players will return, keep playing, and bring their friends along. “We're really looking at it as a sustainable model,” Yen said. “We'll adjust as we go.”
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.thegamer.com/heroes-of-the-storm-comeback-lead-dev-interview/
