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Hearthstone is officially out of the esports roster for Asian Games 2023, which is scheduled for later this year. This will be the first incident of traditional games having esports as part of the main games. Naturally, expectations are high from all the stakeholders, including the participants from all the major nations.
While the plans are on the plate for the competition in the summer, the recent news will undoubtedly be troublesome. Hopes were high from Hearthstone being the only game from the TCG genre in the list.
However, that’s now all set to change with the recent decision that the organizers have taken. While the decision might seem straightforward, many might be unaware of the reason. It all boils down to the fallout between NetEase and Activision Blizzard, possibly leading to this outcome.
Hearthstone’s exclusion from Asian Games 2023 will be a major disappointment for many
Hearthstone was set to be the significant go-to for those who are enthusiasts of TCGs. However, the Asian Electronic Sports Federation has now made a new declaration about the game’s future and why it has been removed from the competition.
“In light of recent events, it is with great regret that we announce the removal of Hearthstone from the Esports program at the Hangzhou Asian Games. In November 2022, negotiations between Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase regarding the extension of operating rights and their partnership agreement ended without reaching a conclusion. As a result, all servers hosting Hearthstone on the Chinese Mainland have been shut down and the team managing the game has been disbanded. This has left the game in a state where it is unable to be included as one of the competition events at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Efforts were made to resolve the issue with the Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF). However, there was no significant progress in finding a solution. After extensive discussions with the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC), it was proposed that Hearthstone be removed from the competition program. On the 16th of March, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) confirmed the decision proposed by HAGOC and the AESF for the removal of Heartstone during the fifth Coordination Committee meeting."
It's an unfortunate turn of events that has now led to its removal from the list of games that will be present at the Asian Games 2023. The recent changes shouldn't reduce the hype, as seven popular games will be present.
However, few would have imagined the fallout between NetEase and Activision Blizzard having such a negative outcome. Had the Asian Games 2023 been scheduled, Blizzard's TCG would have seen a presence at the grand event.
