Accordingly, earlier this month, Blizzard revealed plans regarding Hearthstone Esports 2023. Indeed, in response, the community wasn’t too excited. Bearing this in mind, we have another update Hearthstone Esports Masters Tour 2023!
Hearthstone Esports Masters Tour – A Needed Change
Credits: Blizzard
Indeed, heading into this year, Blizzard announced a downgrade in size for the esport. Moreover, this included a reduction in prize pools for the Masters Tour events.
However, Hearthstone Esports came out on Twitter with the following statement:
After listening to feedback for the Masters Tour, we are changing prize pool distribution. Each Masters Tour will have a $50,000 prize pool similar to the three Lobby Legends Championships. This means the 2023 World Championship will have an adjusted pool of $350,000.
Naturally, this is a good move as the prize needed to improve. Accordingly, no prize pool for the Masters Tour events, from a former $250,000 is quite drastic.
We’re curious to see whether Blizzard takes up any other recommendations from the community, such as hosting offline events. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date on this topic considering how important it is that Hearthstone esports succeeds this year.
Over the course of 10 years, competitive Hearthstone has scene a rollercoaster of success. Accordingly, the past few years have been rather downhill. Bearing this in mind, a recent announcement for Hearthstone esports 2023 reveals a downscaling of operations.
Hearthstone Esports 2023 – This the End?
Are you ready for the TENTH YEAR of competitive Hearthstone?! This year is going to look a bit different from the previous few, so let’s get into what is coming to Hearthstone Esports.https://t.co/lD3ZQzy3GV
Accordingly, right off the bat, Blizzard admits that this year will be ‘smaller than usual’ in their press release:
Even though the 2023 program is smaller, this year is poised to bring another exciting year of competitive Hearthstone, with players from across the globe showcasing their skills to earn prizing and join the Hall of Champions.
With regards to details, here are the summarized details:
Seven Masters Tour Seasonal Championships (no prize pools!)
Three Battlegrounds: Lobby Legends tournaments ($50,000 each)
2023 World Championship (no offline venue announced) – prize pool of $500,000
Viewership – returning to Twitch
Credits: Blizzard
Just like that, the former $250,000 Masters Tour events have been reduced to having no prize pool at all. Accordingly, this will likely drive competitors away.
Indeed, despite the positives of returning to Twitch which could boost viewership, the reduction of support means that this upcoming year could possibly be the last unless major success is encountered.
Over here at esportsguide, we always wish the best for the esports that we cover. However, we always keep it honest when it comes to criticising and praising the industry. Accordingly, Hearthstone Esports 2022 wasn’t up to par – read on as we analyze the year and discuss what could have been improved.
Hearthstone Esports 2022 – Many Factors
Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
Heading into 2022, Blizzard Entertainment announced some changes to try spice things up. Trying to make changes to the format and revising the Master Tour events got us excited – could this year be the opportunity for the esport to return to its former glory?
Indeed, with $3,000,000 on the line across the entire season, what could go wrong?
Here’s a list of the events which took place this past year:
February – Masters Tour Onyxia’s Lair
April – Masters Tour Voyage to the Sunken City
June – Masters Summer Championship
July – Masters Tour 2022 Vashj’ir
October – Masters Tour 2022 Maw and Disorder
October – Masters Fall Championship 2022
December – Hearthstone World Championship 2022
In between the Majors, smaller competitions and the weekly Grandmasters events kept things busy – but was it enough?
State of the Community – Reflected in the Viewership
Credits: Blizzard
No, apparently not. Starting with viewership, a great metric to evaluate participation and excitement in the esport, it’s all been downhill since 2017.
Moreover, this is most evident in the post-season event, the Hearthstone World Championship. Naturally, as the last event of the season and featuring the top players in the world with the best prize pool – it’s the highlight of the year.
However, ever since 2017, viewership every year has declined steadily, as revealed by Esports Charts:
2017 Hearthstone World Championship – Peak Viewers 294,525
2019 Hearthstone World Championship – Peak Viewers 276,206
2020 Hearthstone World Championship – Peak Viewers 89,246
2021 Hearthstone World Championship – Peak Viewers 23,409
2022 Hearthstone World Championship – Peak Viewers 21,786
Of course, we need to ask why this viewership has gone down the drain – a tragic 7% of what it used to be in 2017.
We’d like to think that there are a couple reasons why:
The Game Itself – A Lack of Change?
Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
With time, should there be a lack of updates are changes to a title, the community may become ‘bored’ and move on.
Titles such as CS:GO and VALORANT keep things fresh with map changes and weapon tweaks. Meanwhile, MOBAs such as LoL and DOTA make frequent balance changes.
All of these mentioned changes have a massive effect on the gameplay.
Yet, when it comes to Hearthstone – changes involve adjusting the cards, adding new ones and in-game events. Since 2017, the gameplay hasn’t changed much and perhaps, players simply aren’t interested anymore.
Instead competitors such as Magic: The Gathering is enjoying massive success.
Viewership – A Restraining Contract
Another factor for the viewership is the fact that ahead of the 2022 season, Blizzard Entertainment signed a deal with YouTube.
Credits: LoL Esports Flickr
Specifically, it meant that all competitive events would now have to broadcasted strictly on YouTube.
Accordingly, all of the Blizzard Leagues (Call of Duty League, Overwatch League) suffered a reduction in viewership considering YouTube’s reduced popularity near Twitch.
Naturally, this definitely contributed.
Hearthstone Esports 2022 – Still No Offline Events?
Excuses and a lack of investment also do not help.
Indeed, we’re referring a lack of offline events without any valid reason. Yes, in 2020 the global situation made it rather difficult and it effected multiple esports
Credits: Tencent
However, since then, multiple esports are back with offline events – this year saw every esports return with crowds, while in 2021 there were no crowds.
There hasn’t been an offline event since Masters Tour 2020 Arlington (January).
Online events can only be so exciting, and this likely affected viewership.
Hearthstone Esports 2022 – Need to Change
Heading into 2023, the contract with YouTube is expiring, there’s hope for offline events and potential game changes.
Let’s hope that things ramp up for this esports which used to be very popular.
As part of our series ‘Esports Road Map’, we’ve been highlighting the future of all esports that we cover. Accordingly, in this episode we’ll be taking a look at Hearthstone esports and what the future holds in 2023!
Hearthstone Esports 2023 – Offline Events Needed
Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
To kick things off, Blizzard Entertainment have not yet confirmed Hearthstone esports for 2023. However, Hearthstone Esports on Twitter did confirm the following:
We are working through the final 2023 announcement plans and will share them in the coming weeks.
Credits: Hearthstone Esports Twitter – November 22nd 2022
One month later, we’re tired of waiting. Read on as we discuss our expectations for 2023.
Our Predictions for 2023 – Reworking the Masters Tour
This past year, competitive Hearthstone involved two types of events – Grandmasters and Masters Tour.
Indeed, for 2022, Grandmasters events were reworked to occur less regularly and between only the very best players in each region. In between splits, international Masters Tour events would open the format to anyone skilled enough to leave an impression in the community.
Details for 2023 are still being finalized, with them being published next year. Hope you all enjoy the holidays! https://t.co/FpUXviBPOB
However, there’s more than just the events which need changing.
Back in 2020, Blizzard signed an exclusive viewership deal since YouTube. Accordingly, this resulted in 80% loss of viewership – a deal which ends early 2023. The last World Championship this month saw a disastrously low viewership.
Just like Overwatch and Call of Duty saw an increase in viewership when their exclusive deals ended, the same is expected for Hearthstone.
Accordingly, 2023 is likely the year which makes or breaks competitive Hearthstone.
As is tradition at esportsguide, we love working on an Esports Tier List every now and then. Indeed, following the conclusion of some of the largest esports events ever, now is the best time ever. Accordingly, feel free to read on for an updated list for Esports Tier List 2022 Q4!
Indeed, as always, we’ll fill you in on the same criteria we’ve always used to dictate our tier lists:
Event Proportions – Size of prize pools, number of participants, third and first party organizers, environment and arena capacities
Event frequency – is the year bursting with competition or solely reliant on infrequent first-party organizers
Competitiveness – the level of competition in an esports scene is related to its livelihood
State of the community – health of the lower tier sectors and general condition of the esport as a dynamic entity
Credits: Garena
Accordingly, with that taken care of, always remember that these lists are subject to our opinion too. Otherwise, we’ll be listing the top viewership from the time period, although it’s not the only factor considered. We’re not looking at growth – just where they stand.
Tier 1 – Welcoming VALORANT and Free Fire – Esports Tier List 2022
LoL – 2022 World Championship – Peak Viewers 5,147,701
CS:GO – PGL Major Antwerp 2022 – Peak Viewers 2,113,610
Dota 2 – The International 2022 – Peak Viewers 1,751,086
VALORANT – VALORANT Champions 2022 – Peak Viewers 1,505,804
Free Fire – Free Fire World Series 2022 Sentosa – Peak Viewers 1,477,545
So, let’s talk about the changes involved here. Firstly, since our last Esports Tier List, we’ve decided to promote VALORANT to Tier 1 after an incredible second season, breaking the million peak viewer mark.
In addition, we’ve decided to demote PUBG Mobile from Tier 1 to Tier 2 due to a quieter year, failing to reach the same level of viewership. In contrast, Free Fire managed to grow in the past year and have earned a spot as the top Mobile Esport in the world.
Otherwise, LoL and CS:GO retain their spots as the two very best esports in the world, each having incredible years. Although still worthy of Tier 1, Dota had a rough year and will look to improve next year.
Tier 2 – Multiple Promotions and Demotions
PUBG Mobile – 31st Southeast Asian Games PUBG Mobile – Peak Viewers 903,011
Rocket League – RLCS 21-22 World Championship – Peak Viewers 368,721
Overwatch League – OWL 2022 Playoffs – Peak Viewers 397,868
CoD – CDL 2022 Playoffs – Peak Viewers 275,244
Credits: Psyonix
While Tier 1 has remained somewhat the same, Tier 2 has seen multiple changes since last year.
Perhaps the most impressive climber is the likes of Rocket League – after an impressive year with constant improvement in viewership, the esport is kicking up very well. They’re climb to Tier 2 from Tier 3 is joined by AoG which has remained consistent over the past two years.
Also, Overwatch has made the jump thanks to a much needed improvement of viewership from last year. In fact, it was doubled this year thanks to the excitement behind Overwatch 2.
As we explained prior, for now we’ve had to demote PUBG Mobile to Tier 2 as they’ve failed to be consistent this past year. Let’s see if things improve next year.
Tier 3 – Halo Infinite Making a Mark
Halo World Championship 2022 – Peak Viewers 143,585
FIFA – FIFA eWorld Cup 2022 – Peak Viewers 149,465
PUBG – PUBG Nations Cup – Peak Viewers 239,112
Rainbow Six Siege – Six Invitational 2022 – Peak Viewers 262,714
Credits: Blizzard
Here in Tier 3, the likes of Halo and FIFA are newcomers. With Halo restarting esports operations this year, it joins an improving FIFA scene which returned with offline events this year.
Meanwhile, we’ve decided to demote PUBG and Rainbow Six Siege as they both seem to be lacking growth. Bearing this in mind, both esports are making big changes for 2023 in search of success.
Tier 4 – Wild Rift Experiment Failing?
Credits: Blizzard
StarCraft II – IEM Katowice 2022 – Peak Viewers 50,635
Fortnite – Fortnite Champions Series 2022 Invitational – Peak Viewers 381,915
Hearthstone – Hearthstone World Championship – Peak Viewers 21,786
Usually, a World Championship concludes a season with the best competition and viewership from the entire year. However, that doesn’t seem to have been the case for the Hearthstone World Championship 2022 event – read on to take a look!
Hearthstone World Championship 2022 – Change Needed
Hearthstone 2022 World Championship brought us incredible matches, many caster/dad jokes and a lot of unforgettable and heartwarming moments. Let’s join our beloved scholar @darrochbrown and watch some of the best ones!
Accordingly, inviting the top 16 players in the world for $500,000 looked to be an exciting affair.
Taking place between 16 to 18th December, the event aimed to end the Masters Tour for 2022. However, heading into the event our hopes weren’t too high, as Blizzard decided to opt for an online venue without any valid reason.
The lack of enthusiasm showed in the viewership statistics thanks to Esports Charts:
Peak Viewers – 21,786
Average Viewers – 13,044
Credits: Blizzard
This is simply very very poor in comparison to World Championships of old:
2016 World Championship – 328,623 Peak Viewers
2017 World Championship – 294,525 Peak Viewers
2019 World Championship – 276,206 Peak Viewers
As you can see, the event has performed ridiculously bad.
Overall, this reflects the reduced prize pool and interest in hosting offline events. We’re not sure about the future of Hearthstone esports – but things need to change sooner rather than later.
Although many esports host their final event of the season in late summer, Hearthstone is a little different. Accordingly, the likes of the Hearthstone World Championship 2022 will be taking place in the coming week – read on to learn how to watch this highly anticipated event!
Event Background
Our beloved casters are ready for Hearthstone World Championship! Let’s give them a warm welcome!
For those uanware, the Hearthstone World Championship 2022 is the final event of highest level of competitive Hearthstone – the Grandmasters 2022.
Hosted by Blizzard Entertainment, the online event will invite the very best players from the entire year to compete and be crowned world champions for the past season.
Bearing this in mind, the top 16 players in the world are listed below:
Pascoa
XiaoT
Bunnyhoppor
glory
Tianming
Xmg
Habugabu
Posesi
Xc
YuYi
xBlyzes
levik
Xiaobai
Jarla
Mighty
DeadDrea
Hearthstone 2022 World Championship is almost here! Join us on the hype train and let’s check out the trailer for the event! 🔥🔥🔥
Notably, there is a prize pool of $500,000 on the line. Read on as we dive deeper into the event below!
Format
With regards to the format, we’re looking at a Conquest game mode across all stages of competition.
Firstly, we have the Group Stage which will involve four groups of 4 players. All matches will be BO5 with a Dual Tournament style. Here are the competing players below:
A: DeadDraw, iGXc, KZGYuYi, xBlyzes
B: LGDXiaoT, Tianming, Jarla, glory
C: Posesi, KZGXmg, Mighty, Habugabu
D: Pascoa, Bunnyhoppor, KZG.Xiaobai, levik
From this stage, only the top 2 will progress to the Playoffs from each group.
Credits: Blizzard
Do note that the format here hasn’t changed much since the 2015 Hearthstone World Championship, with Conquest being played out as follows for those unaware:
All matches will be best-of-5. The first player to win 3 games within the match is considered the winner of the match and advances.
Each player must submit decklists from three unique classes prior to each stage of the event. Players may submit new decks prior to each stage of the event.
Feel free to learn more about the Conquest format here.
Once arriving in the Playoffs, only the final 8 players will participate in an exciting single elimination bracket. With only one lifeline, players need to win to progress to the subsequent stages of the tournament.
Schedule for the Hearthstone World Championship 2022
Credits: ESL
With regards to the schedule, the following is an excerpt from the official event page:
16th December – Day 1 will feature 10 matches – Group play will Start at 8 AM CET • Initial Group A/B, Winner, Elimination, and Decider Matches
17th December – Day 2 will feature 10 matches – Group play will Start at 8 AM CET • Initial Group C/D, Winner, Elimination, and Decider Matches
18th December – Day 3 will feature 7 matches – Top 8 will start at 8 AM CET • single-elimination playoff round, followed by the Top 4 players
For further updates, we recommend staying up to date via the Hearthstone Esports Twitter here.
Watch the Hearthstone World Championship 2022 on esportsguide
You can also watch the event live stream via our very own website. Providing an extensive list of the biggest esports together with streams for each esports match live today or upcoming matches.
Most recently, we witnessed the Masters Fall Championship in October. This was the last opportunity for these player to compete at the highest level – check out the standings from that event:
#1 – Bunnyhoppor
#2 – Habugabu
#3-4 – Xmg, Xiaobai
As you can imagine, these four are favourites for this event.
Kicking off in the coming days, the Hearthstone Fall Championship 2022 is a final stop before the World Championship. Accordingly, this is another opportunity for players to prepare themselves for the big one. Read on as we preview this exciting event below!
Hearthstone Fall Championship 2022 – More Details Below
Masters Fall Championship is almost here! Who will earn his invite to the 2022 World Championship later this year? Let’s check out the trailer for the event and the viewer’s guide!
Specifically, the Masters Fall Championship forms part of the Masters Tour. For those unaware, the Masters Tour is the highest level of competition of Hearthstone globally.
Taking place online, the event will run from 28th October to 30th October in an online fashion. Inviting 16 of the top players in the world, here are how they’ve been seeded into the Groups:
Group A:
Xiaobai
Furyhunter
Habugabu
plastiik
Group B:
Gaboumme
PocketTrain
glory
Tansoku
Group C:
Bunnyhoppor
LoveStorm
Zochi
Aojiru
Masters Fall Championship begins next week! Check out the schedule for the event!
Quick reminder – there will be a time change on 30th of October (end of DST) in various countries!
While some seasons are starting, others are coming to an epic end. Accordingly, that seems to be the case for Hearthstone World Championship 2022 later on this year. Read on as we preview this exciting event below with all the facts!
Hearthstone World Championship 2022 – Fact Sheet
Let's check out a quick overview of upcoming Hearthstone Esports events in 2022!
Follow our channel for more details regarding the tournaments, as well as highlights, interviews, events and much more!#HSEsportspic.twitter.com/aUzdnEnHgH
Indeed, following last year, the event continues on its yearly showing, ending a season of Hearthstone events.
The following are some facts to bear in mind for the event below:
Dates: December 16th to December 18th 2022
Prize: $500,000
Participants: 16 best players in the world
Venue: Online
Specifically, the seeding for the players are in three groups. Moreover, the three paths to seed are:
Masters Tour – 8 players
Chinese Gold Series – 4 players
Grandmasters – 4 players
Credits: Blizzard Entertainment
These 16 players will have to fight through an exciting format. This format will first involve a group stage with four of four. Accordingly, players will fight through a dual-tournament format where only the top player from each group will progress to a single elimination bracket.
It’s during the BO5 conquest format bracket that we’ll crown a new world champion.
Closer to the event we’ll be sure to provide all the viewership details you need!
With summer out of the way, the final chapter of the year offers some last epic esports events. Accordingly, in this featured article we’ll be looking at the top 5 Esports Events 2022 Q4. Read on as we take a look at some of the top events for 2022!
Before we proceed, the term ‘Q4’ refers to the final quarter fo the year – the months of October, November and December will be what we look at below. With that out of the way, let’s start ranking!
Honorable Mentions – Esports Events 2022 Q4
Credits: 343 Industries
With so many events to consider, not every event could make it into our top 5 tier list. Below find two honorable mentions worth talking about before diving into the main list:
Naturally, both of these events are post-season events looking to conclude their respective seasons. While PUBG looks to celebrate the Global Championship 2022 once again, Halo is a touch more exciting as it’s been a while.
Anyways, let’s now move on to the official list below.
#5 – Free Fire World Series 2022 Bangkok – Free Fire
Credits; Garena
Date: 25h November – 26th November 2022
Venue: Bangkok
Prize Pool: $2,000,000
Participants: 19 teams
Starting off our list is a mobile esports event. Following up from the Sentosa World Series in 2022, November looks to bring the Bangkok World Series.
With an impressive $2,000,000 on the line, the top teams in the world will be completing offline to try and secure the World Championship.
Although a touch behind PUBG Mobile esports, this event looks to continue improving in all aspects to keep Free Fire growing.
#4 – PUBG Mobile Global Championship 2022 – PUBG Mobile
Credits: Tencent
Date: 11th November 2022 – 1st January 2023
Venue: Grand Finals in Indonesia
Prize Pool: $4,000,000
Participants: 51 teams
Over the past two years, the PMGC has been responsible for some incredible viewershi pnumbers. Most notably, the viewership bounced just over 4,000,000 peak viewership two years ago.
Celebrating the international approach of competitive PUBG Mobile, the scale of this event is simply impressive and outstanding compared to other post-season events. Indeed, PUBG Mobile continues to push the ceiling for mobile esports.
Matching ths takes with an incredible prize pool, we can’t wait to see how the PUBG Mobile competitive season concludes thanks to this event!
As is clear to anyone who follows esports, CS:GO is a fierce tier 1 esport. Bearing this in mind, we made the interesting decision of including two CS:GO events at the third place spot on our list.
Specifically, within the space of one month, two $1,000,000 events will be taking place and both are worth considering, especially the Rio Major after being cancelled last time!
Both are different types of events – one being more open and the other closed to partner teams. While we might be bending the rules here, it’s to ensure a diverse Top 5 list filled with the best events from multiple esports.
#2 – The International 2022 – Dota 2 – Esports Events 2022 Q4
And, to nobody’s surprise, it’s time to take about The International 2022. Following up on a legacy of incredible, record-breaking esports events, TI 2022 looks to follow this trend.
Bearing this in mind, the top 20 teams from the Dota Pro Circuit are looking to conquer and claim the massive prize pool as to be finalized by crowdfunding.
Last year, the incredible run of Team Spirit was beloved by the community – who knows what stories will be written this time around?
Rounding off the list, based on statistics from last year, is Worlds 2022. With Worlds 2021 earning the top viewership from last year, this year looks to be no different.
Accordingly, once again Riot Games is keeping the same formular. Indeed, by stretching the competition over a month, the epic story looks to unfold and the community tuning into an awesome story. Naturally, only one team will earn the Summoner’s Rift trophy.
Notably, this year Worlds 2022 is heading to North America for the first time in a long time – adding to the excitement! Check out the event on esportsguide here.
