For the Hearthstone community who is a little bit interested in the game design, it's a rather important news. Mike Donais, who had taken the reins of Game Design since the departure of Ben Brode (well supported by Dean Ayala, Ben Thompson and Dave Kosak) announced his departure from Team 5. The destination? No one knows, but he did confirm that he's staying with Blizzard.
The announcement was made in several places and through a few lines in Dog's chat who was simply playing Battlegrounds. The developer answered a few questions about the game's balance by mentioning his inability to get his hands on it. (Screenshots from hearthpwn)
These are basically messages from Mike Donais. Questions will inevitably be raised: Which game? Does it help on an already existing license? A new license still unknown? Will Team 5 survive without him? There's a good chance that it will, as the work on game design has evolved in the right direction over the last few months (quick nerves, better communication). He has been in the team since 2014, and has dedicated a big part of his time in the last few months to the Battlegrounds mode.
Battlegrounds is now a responsibility of the card design team, so the same team that works on expansions will now also handle content production for that game mode.
To add to the prize pool for the Year of the Dragon Masters Tour, Blizzard is offering all Hearthstone players the chance to participate in a crowdfunding event that will directly support the esports on Hearthstone!
