Posted on November 11, 2013, Ryan Visbeck Why Hearthstone Is the Next Big eSport

Ryan “State” Visbeck is a pro StarCraft 2 player officially sponsored by Game Front. Read more of his work in his weekly column, State on StarCraft, and follow him on Twitter @ROOTState

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At BlizzCon 2013, the Hearthstone Innkeeper’s Invitational—Hearthstone’s inaugural tournament—was nearly as popular as StarCraft 2 and even overtook the World Championship Series at one point in viewership. As a fast-paced, free-to-play collectible strategy card game, it is easy to see why Hearthstone is so popular. With Blizzard’s eSports experience and the strength of the WarCraft franchise, this upcoming title has the potential to be the next big eSport.

The tournament was won by Dan “Artosis” Stemkoski, a professional StarCraft 2 commentator and one of the world’s most passionate gamers. Stemkoski is known in the StarCraft community for his insightful, deeply analytical commentary—and though he now spends most of his time at a caster’s desk, he is no stranger to competition.

Stemkoski was pro-level in the popular card game Magic: The Gathering before he began to pursue a career in StarCraft: Brood War as a professional gamer. At the Innkeeper’s Invitational, Stemkoski upset favorites Jeffrey “Trump” Shih and Octavian “Kripparrian” Morosan to become BlizzCon’s first Hearthstone champion.

Minutes after stepping off stage, Stemkoski was casting the StarCraft 2 Global Finals.

The success of Blizzard’s inaugural Hearthstone tournament raises new questions about the game’s future as an eSport, and Stemkoski’s victory draws new parallels between Hearthstone and StarCraft 2. “The game is competitive and enjoyable to watch on many levels,” said eSports personality John “TotalBiscuit” Bain after casting the tournament finals. “The numbers proved that there is interest [in Hearthstone as an eSport].”

Over 100,000 fans tuned in on Twitch.TV to watch Bain and co-commentator Kevin Knocke cast the Hearthstone Innkeeper Invitational Grand Finals. Thousands more crowded the tournament stage to watch Stemkoski’s win. As Blizzard’s development team continues to improve upon their design and the game enters open beta in December, interest in Hearthstone should continue to grow.

“The addition of new gameplay mechanics will lead to stronger, more varied gameplay,” said Bain. “Improvements such as a better observing mode in which casters can see both hands, upcoming card draws, efficiency and graveyards will help Hearthstone be treated seriously as a competitive sport.”

Speaking as a pro-gamer, I find Hearthstone to be fun, engaging and relatable—and though the game is easy to understand on the surface, it has potential for great strategic depth. “In a long series, you will be able to see who the better player is,” Bain said. “In small numbers of games, Hearthstone can appear to be very luck-based, but it is less random than many people believe.”

Blizzard has succeeded in creating a gameplay experience rewarding to both players and spectators. I’ve had the opportunity to play Hearthstone over the last month and I’m really excited to see what happens once everyone has a chance to play. If TotalBiscuit is right, Hearthstone could become the next premier eSport—right alongside the likes of StarCraft 2, DotA 2 and League of Legends.