Skip to main content

Blizzard teases upcoming 'Hearthstone' expansion reveal at BlizzCon

Blizzard its preparing to launch the next major expansion for its free-to-play collectible card game Hearthstone, noting that further details will be revealed at BlizzCon in November.

A teaser tweeted this week suggests that the next expansion will take place in Gadgetzan. In a novel twist, fans who dig deeper into Blizzard’s recent teasers may find themselves chatting up a Facebook chatbot masquerading as a goblin barkeep in their search for clues.

Recommended Videos

Blizzard began teasing its upcoming expansion via Twitter this week, as the company’s official Hearthstone account uploaded a postcard image stating “Greetings from Gadgetzan. It’s as clean as it is safe!”

Polygon points out that Gadgetzan is a goblin-run trading outpost within Blizzard’s MMORPG World of Warcraft. Notably, the outpost serves as a universal auction house that allows Horde and Alliance members to trade with one another, despite the factions being adversaries elsewhere in the game.

Blizzard continued teasing fans with an image depicting a faux newspaper from Gadgetzan. Much of Blizzard’s recent media focuses on Gadgetzan’s “unbreakable” bank vault, suggesting that a robbery of some sort will play a role in Hearthstone‘s next expansion.

Hearthstone fanatics who scrutinized Blizzard’s recent newspaper image discovered a link to “chat with Talan,” the goblin proprietor of Talan’s Tavern. The link leads to a Facebook Messenger session with a Blizzard-authored chatbot. From there, players can prod Talan for further details regarding Blizzard’s future plans for Hearthstone.

Fans who keep up a conversation with Talan are rewarded with several images featuring Hearthstone production artwork, which could later be repurposed as character art for new cards. Blizzard’s chatbot also accepts unique commands and dialogue options, making it likely that players will uncover further details before the next expansion is revealed at BlizzCon.

BlizzCon 2016 kicks off on November 4 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

Danny Cowan
Former Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 preload guide: release date, file size, and more
A skater grinds on a waterslide in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4.

It almost didn't happen, but Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 managed to materialize as the next big video game remake. Just like the last bundle, this refreshed look at the seminal skateboarding titles will bring back all those mid-2000s feelings of doing impossible grinds and catching insane air while rocking out to a killer soundtrack. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 aims to be a faithful reimagining of the originals, but reworks the latter game to fit the format of the former, plus adds some cool new features like online multiplayer with full cross-platform support. No doubt you've got your shoes laced up and skateboard all tuned up, but have you preloaded the game? Here's what you need to know about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4's release date, file size, preload options, and more.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 release date

Read more
I finally gave Roblox an honest shot and I totally get it now
A laptop with a Roblox wallpaper.

Even as someone whose job it is to cover games, it is impossible not to have a few blind spots. I can hold my own in a discussion about League of Legends, know the history and general pulse in the Destiny community, and keep up with the latest goings on in Fortnite out of curiosity, but I couldn't tell you almost anything about Roblox before this week. I knew it was both a game and a creation engine that was quietly one of the most popular games in the world, but that's about it. As a 33-year-old man, I ignorantly assumed I was out of the game's demographic without ever giving it a shot.

I spent this past week righting that wrong to see for myself if Roblox really is something just for the younger generation. At the very least, I wanted to see if I could understand the appeal of the game even if it wasn't for me. I have come away not only fully understanding why Roblox is the cultural phenomenon it is, but it feels like the next evolution of one of my most formative eras in gaming.

Read more
All Silent Hill games in order, by release date and chronologically
A girl staring at a shrine.

Among the best horror games in video game history, the Silent Hill franchise might be the most iconic. Starting back on the PS1, this claustrophobic and psychological horror series stood apart from the rest with its dense fog and otherworldly monsters. Sadly, the franchise has had more lows than highs after the third entry, but it is making a strong comeback as of late. Now is the best time to immerse yourself in the dark world of Silent Hill, but where should you start? Unlike the Resident Evil games, which are very tied together, the lore and canon of Silent Hill is much harder to track. Make sure your radio is turned on and grab a pipe as I walk you through the entire Silent Hill series in release order and chronologically.

All Silent Hill games in release order

Read more