Blizzard Almost Made The Most Boring VR Game Ever

VR games are supposed to be exciting, immersive, and sometimes intense. The wondrous technology packed into those goofy headsets throw you into worlds where zombies, headcrabs, and giant spiders lurk. Where projectiles fly at you with horrifying realism. Where it's all about the action.

So why would Blizzard want to make a Hearthstone VR game?

That's the million gold question. In an interview with PowerUp!, Lead Effects Artist Hadidjah Chamberlain let slip that, at one point, there was an internal prototype of Hearthstone VR. Crafted in a quick two weeks at Blizzard's Free Your Mind internal hackathon, this VR version of the digital card game allowed players to stroll around the comfy, cozy tavern that players know and love.

"You could walk around The Tavern and sit down to play a game with someone." said Chamberlain, "They only had two weeks, so they only got as far [allowing players to] throw cards at the table and you could flip the table over!"

Sometimes we feel like flipping the table after a particularly unfruitful round of Hearthstone. This would be a welcome addition to the game — but is it really the best title to be brought to VR?

Once the news of this new and maybe not improved version of Hearthstone hit the internet, fans flocked to their favorite forums to give their own opinions on the matter. One comment on the Hearthstone subreddit said, "Less VR, more deckslots." This seems to be a general sentiment: there are other things that Hearthstone devs should be focusing on. The game has a lot of eyes on it, especially after all the drama and controversy from the professional scene last year.

But hey, there are also those who enjoy more chill VR experiences. For instance, David Milner tweeted, "You know what'd be a rad VR game? Hearthstone. I'm not kidding. You'd sit in a cool fantasy tavern. Fully animated opponent across from you ('Well met!'). Card FX popping off. You don't move so no sickness/motion issues. Fling cards with motion controllers." 

There are some who would like to see Hearthstone as a VR game, but there is no official word from Blizzard as to whether this will stay an internal project or if the devs — following fan excitement — will bring The Tavern to world of VR.