Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for Smartphones, Out In Market Early 2015

By Kara Michelle Oct 24, 2014 09:12 AM EDT

Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft for Smartphones, Out In Market Early 2015

Blizzard Entertainment's free-to-play Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft digital collectible card game is slated for release for the smartphone mobile operating system platforms by the beginning of 2015 according to the developer. "We're also close to having Hearthstone out to our iPhone and Android phone users," said Blizzard at the Heartside Chat blog site, "but it's become clear that we need a little more time to get that version right. While we have a build up and running internally, it needs a bit more work, and we don't feel like we'll be ready to share it with you until early next year."

Heartstone: Heroes of Warcraft was officially released in March 2014. The game is now available on the Microsoft Windows and OS X operating systems as well as on the iPad and Windows 8 Touch devices. Before the year ends, it will also be playable on the Android tablet platform. However, the developer needs more time to come up with a stable smartphone version of the game. "Releasing Hearthstone on iPhone and Android phones is something we're incredibly excited about, but ultimately we'd rather take the extra time to make Hearthstone's user interface on the phone customized to feel great for the platform, rather than a port that doesn't take into account the limitations of a smaller screen," said Blizzard.

According to the developer, ""It's very important to us that the phone experience for Hearthstone is just as accessible as the tablet and PC versions. One of the biggest challenges with that is revamping the user interface so it feels intuitive and offers the same quality Hearthstone experience, but this time from the palm of your hand."

The free-to-play card game now has already amassed 20 million players. Last month, Hearthstone got its first expansion, called 'Curse of Naxxramas,' which adds 30 new cards. At this point Blizzard is also getting ready for its next expansion of the game, which will entail the addition of over 100 new cards that will be available in a new type of card pack.