End of an era

The expectations for the recentHeroes of the Stormupdate were low,especially after the recent announcement, but this is something else.

General

Collection

To be clear, this is the content push that’s being done right after announcing that the game is going into maintenance mode beyond the state it was already infollowing the “Brack Letter.”Players get a mount and the opportunity to buy a skin. Oh, and free heroes will continue to rotate. That’s…pretty much it. No balances, no reworks (which were said to be in the works last time we spoke with the team), and definitely no new heroes this week.

For manyHeroes of the Stormcommunity members (and former developers!), this past week has been a punch in the gut. Most notably, the Into the Nexus podcast — which has been the marqueeHeroespodcast since the game launched seven years ago (and with pre-launch episodes, before that) —is saying goodbye to the game this month, and will shift the podcast to a new focus.

Heroes of the Storm update

It’s been a heck of a run.Heroesremained one of my favorite games since it arrived in June of 2015, year after year. I know a handful of people thatstill play it regularly, and the community is among one of the most passionate pockets of gaming I’ve witnessed in my entire life. I mean, with the servers still online maybe there’s potential down the road for some miracle to happen (especially under the Microsoft banner); but for now, the game is decidedly in a state of cryostasis.

Oda Nobunaga and Yasuka on horses next to marching armies

Miyabi and a round spirit wreathed in blue flames in Zenless Zone Zero

Two Fortnite characters performing Wanna See Me: a soldier striking a finger-gun pose and a paramedic dancing, set against a blue background.

Nexus Control Center Interface in Arknights: Endfield

Sekiro

Lucille, the baseball bat, visible in the mod for Left 4 Dead 2.

Elden Ring cracked statues

Elden Ring Walking Mausoleums 1

The splashart for Hextech Ziggs, showcasing the furry yordle being blown into the sky by his own bomb.