Is this the end of Hearthstone esports?

Activision Blizzard recently announced news that shocked the Hearthstone community: there will be no cash prizes at the Hearthstone Masters Tour events this year. Many fans are now wondering if this is the end of Hearthstone as an esport, as it is questionable whether many players will participate in a tournament with no prize money and risk losses.

Blizzard has revealed its Hearthstone roadmap for this year. This includes Hearthstone Masters Tour Seasonal Championship events where the winners of those tournaments will not receive any prize money.

No prize money in Hearthstone Masters Tour Seasonal Championships

Of the seven tournaments for the game, three will be Hearthstone Masters Tour Seasonal Championships, meaning these tournaments will bring teams to the 2023 Hearthstone World Championship. But here’s the catch that has a lot of people wondering: there won’t be a dime in prize money at the three Masters Tour events. Last year, every Masters Tour had a prize pool of $250,000. Blizzard says:

“Because players can qualify directly for the World Cup via the ladder, we want to prioritize rewarding the most consistent players throughout the year.”

The announcement also had a small section where questions were answered. As you might expect, some people have asked if it’s the end of Hearthstone. Others have asked if there will be third-party invites to Hearthstone Masters Tour events and if co-streaming will be allowed in the future. According to Blizzard, the current scope of Hearthstone’s competitions is independent of the success of the game:

“We’re excited about the upcoming content plans for the game and can’t wait for players to see what’s in the works for years to come.” 

Hearthstone returns to Twitch

The announcement also touched on the move from Twitch to YouTube in recent years, which has resulted in a decline in viewership. This year, however, Hearthstone Esport will be streamed on Twitch again.
“Our goal is to balance the cost of running esports productions while considering the size of the competitive community,” Blizzard wrote.

In the meantime, there will be no third-party invites for Hearthstone Masters Tour events this year. As for co-streaming, Blizzard stated that attendees at Hearthstone esports events will have permission to delay stream their participation. Eligible community members will also be able to stream official Hearthstone broadcasts.

As expected, the prize money cut hasn’t gone down well with fans and players alike, and it remains to be seen how successful the events will be without prize money. Things are also looking bleak in Fortnite, as more and more organizations are in the process of discontinuing their Fortnite line-ups.

Here are the dates for Hearthstone esports events for this year:

Spring Season Qualification Period: January through March

• Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends Spring Championship: May
• Masters Tour Spring Championship: April or May

Qualification period for the summer season: April to June

• Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends Summer Championship: July or August
• Masters Tour Summer Championship: August or September

Fall Season Qualification Period: July through September

• Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends Fall Championship: November
• Masters Tour Fall Championship: November

Header: twitter.com/HSesports