Blizzard Entertainment is breathing new life into its MOBA, Heroes of the Storm, with the upcoming addition of its first new character in six years. Xal'atath, a key figure from World of Warcraft’s "Midnight" expansion, is slated to join the Nexus on Monday, September 28. This marks a significant development for a game that many believed had received its final updates.
A public test realm (PTR) for the new content is scheduled to begin on Monday, September 14. This move comes as a welcome surprise to the Heroes of the Storm player base, who had largely come to terms with the game's status as a legacy title.
Blizzard officially ended comprehensive support for Heroes of the Storm in 2022, stating at the time that future patches would primarily focus on maintaining client stability and addressing bugs, with balance adjustments made as necessary. However, the game did receive a notable patch in 2023, and sporadic smaller updates and new cosmetic items have continued to appear since then.
This forthcoming content update appears to be a test of community engagement, with Blizzard indicating that further developments hinge on player reception. "If the community responds well, it could lead to more things," a Blizzard franchise leader commented, describing the current update as a potential "first foray into something really big."
Johanna Faries, President of Blizzard Entertainment, expressed gratitude to the dedicated Heroes of the Storm players for their sustained loyalty. "To all the HotS players out there, thank you for believing in this game, for carrying the torch, and for reminding us sometimes — very loudly — what this game means to you," she stated. Faries also hinted at the possibility of more new heroes being introduced in the future, urging players to "stay tuned."