In an esports world filled with first-person shooters and MOBAs, a simple card game, Blizzard's Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, has carved out a sizable audience of its own.
Magic: The Gathering's simpler cousin adds a sizable dose of poker's game-swinging surprises to its animations and voice acting, setting the game apart. Sometimes referred to as "wizard poker" by its fanbase, Blizzard's concoction has proved a rather alluring brew.
Hearthstone's brand of fun, suffice it to say, has sold quite well. Back in November, Blizzard reported there were 40 million active Hearthstone accounts. Back in July, Hearthstone's official Twitch stream featured hundreds of thousands of viewers tuning in not to watch a Hearthstone championship or tournament, but just to see the announcement of a new expansion set.