Hearthstone devs hint at future expansions & potential WoW Shadowlands content

As the card-based universe of Hearthstone continues to expand to include some of World of Warcraft’s classic vistas, the devs have hinted that we may see the universe of WoW Shadowlands make it into Blizzard’s CCG.

While most associate Blizzard with the high octane action of Overwatch or the expansive World of Warcraft universe, players can always take a break from the battlefield to chill out in Hearthstone’s tavern and take on other players in a very different form of competition.

Initially confined to the warmth of the pub, Blizzard’s iconic CCG has continued to expand outwards. Following the success of Mercenaries and Fractured in Alterac Valley, the devs have chosen to take us on a deep dive beneath the waves to Zin-Azshari, an Atlantis-style city inspired by the underwater universe of WoW’s Sunken Temple.

As players ready themselves for the adventure of a lifetime, we spoke to Hearthstone’s Associate Game Designer, Edward Goodwin, and Game Designer, Cora Georgiou, about what the future holds for the classic title – and which WoW stories they’d to see translated into the game.

Will WoW Shadowlands make it into Hearthstone?

As WoW Shadowlands patch 9.2, Eternity’s End, marks the end of a particularly divisive expansion, we asked whether or not there are plans to add some of the Maw’s most famous faces to Hearthstone in the future.

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While Cora clarifies that “it’s not something we can talk about,” she does note “as a team we’ve been exploring WoW storylines, specifically last year with the Year of the Gryphon and the classic World of Warcraft experience. We really love being able to incorporate classic WoW, and even modern, WoW into Hearthstone and then being able to put our spin on it.

“I do think Shadowlands has some really cool characters, and there’s some really interesting storylines there. Definitely nothing is off the table, but there’s nothing that we can talk about at this time.”

Hearthstone is all about its storytelling, however, so we asked Edward and Cora where they would like to see our avid card game enthusiasts head next.

“Here’s the thing,” Cora says with a smile. “I actually led the initial design for the expansion that comes after Sunken City, so I have a perfect Hearthstone expansion and we’re currently working on it!”

As for Edward, he notes “I guess the character I like the most is a Hearthstone specific character: Arch-Villain Rafaam [founding member of the League of E.V.I.L in Descent of Dragons]. I’d love for us to do a Rafaam-themed expansion, but I feel like that’s a pretty long shot. Maybe a decade down the line or something!”

“What happened to him after Descent of Dragons?” Cora asks. “Where did the League of E.V.I.L go?” So, while the chances of a Rafaam expansion may seem slim, who knows, maybe Edward’s passion for the quirky character will transform into a full-blown story. Until then, though, we have Voyage to the Sunken City to keep us busy!