Will this game be an esport?

[Duronos]

I'm asking because I'm thinking about jumping train to start a fresh game since I'm highly ranked on LoL but improving on that game to get to Master is just... Interesting since so many play it. It would be much easier to have visibility earlier on in a game's life so I am indeed asking if this game has competitive viability.

[Super Kami Dende]

Short Answer? Yes.

Long Answer? Yes.

[Deleted]

It is very likely going to be an e-sport, is it going to be anything worthwhile and sustaining, that I am highly doubtful about.

[Stormkhan]

Game too shallow to be anything more than a casual game. Unlike Hearthstone, which is also casual but has celebs attached due to the depth of the game, HotS will be like HoN at the most.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Game too shallow to be anything more than a casual game. Unlike Hearthstone, which is also casual but has celebs attached due to the depth of the game, HotS will be like HoN at the most.

HotS is still in alpha; just because it doesn't seem that deep to you now doesn't mean it will to other people later.

OT: Yes, but it won't reach the same tier as LoL & DotA 2 as quickly. It might.

[Duronos]

Think I have a game I'm going to master then, I've always wanted to go pro with a game and now is my finally my chance.

[apepi]

Easy answer, it already is. There is already like what, two leagues going on right now? There are already Cloud Nine, Eg and etc that has pro leagues.

[Airlick]

It will be. The only complaints and arguments as to why HotS won't be a competitive game some people have is the removal of laning, farming (which still exists to an extent, it just doesn't grant gold, but XP) and items. They are completely ignorant. An e-sport needs to be fun to watch, first and foremost. Removal of said things only serves to greatly increase the fun. There is no 15-minute long afk-farming phase. The real action starts at minute 1 and continues until one of the cores gets blown up. This is FUN. Watching a Xerath blow his Q on minions every 30 seconds for 15 minutes straight is NOT fun.

There's also the map count argument, which is also, IMO, very important. There's nothing duller than watching the same map in X games in a row. This is not the case in HotS, as all maps are endorsed as competitive maps, there's no Summoner's Rift here. All of the maps require different approach. It's so much different than having the same damn setup and the same strategy in every single game, as is the case in LoL at pro level. It also adds to the fun the spectators can have, there's no way watching a tournament can get boring with all the things teams can pull off.

Does HotS lack depth right now? All it lacks is more heroes. 30 is quite a low number. The game is just as hard to master and as deep as other MOBAs, the people that refuse to see it are simply ignorant and don't bother to look past the fact that it's more accessible and easier to learn than other MOBAs.

[Super Kami Dende]

Don't think it'll blow up massivly. Not enough customization. Things would eventually become too predictable.

Imo.

I dunno, each Character have the ability to choose 1 of 4 Talents to upgrade into ever few Levels added quite a bit of customization.

As Arthas I can go a build which makes me a great self healer or a Hard hitting titans or a tanky as fuck or the ability to CC my targets more.

Whereas in games like LoL I can hold Tab see who I am versing, know exactly what moves they have on each character since it is always the same 4 and know if they have say a Zhonyas or something.

In HotS I'm constantly having to think "ok does this ETC have extended range on x Ability, or does his Y ability have z duration increase" so on and so forth.

I thoroughly enjoy the ability to Play Arthas as multiple different ways depending on my team/enemies team comps. Also having 2 Ultis that you need to choose 1 from and then having talents that change your ultis aswell is cool.

[Airlick]

Don't think it'll blow up massivly. Not enough customization. Things would eventually become too predictable.

Imo.

As predictable as in LoL, where you know that AP carry will eventually have Unholy Grail/Rabadon/Zhonya/Void Staff/Sorc Shoes, ADC will have Shiv/Greaves/IE/Last Whisper/BT? Insert cookie cutter builds for other roles here. The only thing that changes is the build order. There are literally no meaningful choices as far as customization in LoL goes.

Meanwhile, thanks to meaningful talent choices, HotS heroes actually have different VIABLE ways to play them. You can build a heavy sustain bruiser Arthas, or you can build an initiating tank Arthas. You can have splitpusher Zagara or you can have teamfighting Zagara. You can have a heavy burst Gazlowe with Grav Bomb or a n extremely strong pusher/"jungler" (more like objective killer) Gazlowe with Robo-Goblin. I mean, I won't lie, not all heroes have really meaningful choices, for example, you pretty much have to pick active dps skills (that is Berserk and Searing Attacks) for Raynor or will deal 0 damage, same goes for Kerrigan. The majority of them does, though.

[deragot7]

HotS can be an E-sport.
HotS won't be as successful as Dota and LoL.

Blizzard never were good with supporting enough and expanding the E-sport scene.WoW and SC2 are a living proof of that.Also D2 was an actual E-sport unlikely D3.The only good,big and not dying E-sport that they currently have is Herthstone.

[Xjev]

It will be if its fun and there are many players playing it.

[Deleted]

I never understood why people watch LoL when for the first 30minutes its grinding gold/xp.
Think Blizzard did the right thing of not going that direction and instead puts you into the fighting from start till finish wich in my opinion is way more exciting to do and to watch.

[Ytlayol]

I don't think it will be successful as an esport, it is a shallow game and not very intellectually engaging. It doesn't do anything better than dota or lol, only thing it brings is the not last hitting minions and the talent system - in which I think the developers will have a hard time balancing. I find the niche it could fit into as being an introduction to the moba genre.

[solvexx]

I'm asking because I'm thinking about jumping train to start a fresh game since I'm highly ranked on LoL but improving on that game to get to Master is just... Interesting since so many play it. It would be much easier to have visibility earlier on in a game's life so I am indeed asking if this game has competitive viability.

Getting in on the game at ground level won't help you in remaining among the best in the long run. If you're good enough to play as a pro, you will
be able to do it regardless of when you start playing if you put the effort in.

[Deleted]

HotS definitely has the potential to be an e-sport, more so than any other currently popular moba. E-sport exists for the spectators, and I dare you to tell me you'd rather watch 15 minutes worth of last-hitting than fast, dynamic action from the first minute.

What I fear for is Blizzard's ability to actually capitalize on that. I wish they learn from Riot as far as promoting HotS goes.

[Deleted]

What I fear for is Blizzard's ability to actually capitalize on that. I wish they learn from Riot as far as promoting HotS goes.

I think that at Blizzcon heroes has demonstrated that it can be a solid e-sport, is easy to watch and it is very action packed from the very beginning of a match.

However I do agree with this statement from Caine.

[ErothTV]

This. Is. Going. To. Be. A. hit!

[Tziva]

Blizzard will encourage it to be, but it really depends on if there are enough high level players interested to make it one, and enough people who enjoy watching those players to support it.

It's one of those "we'll see" things. There's really no way to know until the game is live and established enough that it attracts competitive players and eager viewers.

[Torture]

Whilst I understand people not finding the laning phase of LoL that engaging for the viewer, I do think it has a degree of tension that's missing in HoTs.

The battle for vision control, the impact of junglers (and the incredible impact a 'good' jungler can have), TP play, objective control etc. There is a lot going on during that laning phase and I somehow feel that HoTs is missing that 'game within a game' feel.

It feels a little more like a 'teamfight arena' than a more traditional MOBA, and whilst I entirely get that some people will prefer that, it just lacks a lot of the subtlety of LoL for me personally.

The lack of gold and items, the lack of rune and mastery builds. These things just feel like they limit character selection to a more 2 dimensional process and remove some of the depth of counter builds and character evolution as the game goes on.

People are absolutely right in that it throws the viewer (and the players) into the action very early on, but to coin a phrase my parents frequently used 'more haste, less speed'. It feels a little like it's trying so hard to get the action going from the 10 second mark that it missed out on some of the more subtle aspects of the MOBA gendre to date.

I'm a Diamond LoL player and I've been playing HoTs on and off for around 6 weeks now, just to give a touch of context.

Obviously this is simply my personal opinion, I don't profess to be any sort of authority on either the games or the gendre.