Blizzard Entertainment's Hearthstone helped to propel virtual card games into the video game industry spotlight, and now other developers are trying to cash in on the virtual card game craze, such as CD PROJEKT Red's Gwent: The Witcher Card Game and Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls: Legends. Host Mandie Roman discusses the virtual card game genre and topics surrounding it on this episode of Game Talk Live with the help of an expert panel of guests including The Elder Scrolls: Legends podcaster Darick Oswalt, Streamer and video game industry veteran VampireKitten and Hearthstone Championship Tour broadcast producer Billy Baria.
With the virtual card game genre becoming a very popular area in the video game industry, there have been concerns that Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls: Legends could get lost in the shuffle, especially with the news of the game switching developers that has left fans fearful of the future for the title. Game Talk Live discusses how Bethesda has a great deal of passion and commitment to The Elder Scrolls: Legends and that the decision to have another developer work on the title is probably because it is what Bethesda feels is the best path to success for the game. Each panelist also discusses how having multiple developers working on the title points to a promising future of growth for the virtual card game, such as with the lore of the title.
CD PROJEKT Red's Gwent: the Witcher Card Game is also going through a massive overhaul. The panel discusses whether or not the changes being implemented to the title is because of stiffer competition from other virtual card games or if it is just merely a coincidence.
Game Talk Live also dives into how developers of virtual card games handle the challenge of balancing their titles when it is often viewed that there will always be cards that are better than others. With so many cards being created for these titles, many cards can become obsolete, as they do not stack up well with newer versions. The panelists also give their takes on how virtual card games can appease to both casual and hardcore players and how variation can be a double sided coin for competitive play.
"@ElderScrolls has a rich, fantastic lore. When [people] talk about untapped potential, they talk about making the card game really feel like it belongs in the #ElderScrolls universe." -@thatCHARM3R
— GameTalkLive (@GameTalkLive) June 8, 2018
Live Now: https://t.co/vDD67TRHJh pic.twitter.com/Ve6fHWPNHo
Another topic that is brought up in today's episode of Game Talk Live is the practice of developers to expand upon their already successful franchises with virtual card games based on their IPs established universe, such as Valve with its DOTA 2 card game Artifact and Blizzard with Hearthstone. This practice has seen success, as fans of franchises often love anything that is associated with them, such as a virtual card game based on them, and allows them to enjoy the games' universes without having to devote a large portion of time that the original titles may require to properly enjoy.
However, even with the success of virtual card games based on popular IPs, the panelists discuss how original card games have the ability to see success, such as Magic: The Gathering. The impact that mobile platforms have had on the rise in popularity of virtual card games is also examined by the Game Talk Live panel.
"If you're an advertiser on a @PlayHearthstone app, you're only two or three taps away from someone downloading your mobile game– sometimes even one tap!" -@jbillyb
— GameTalkLive (@GameTalkLive) June 8, 2018
Watch Live Now: https://t.co/vDD67TRHJh#Hearthstone #hearthstonedecks #mobilegames #MobileApp #gamers pic.twitter.com/24DTz3dHcN
This episode of Game Talk Live has ended, but you can see it in its entirety in the embedded video above. Moreover, be sure to catch the previous episode of Game Talk Live where panelists discuss the recent trend of retro consoles being revitalized for modern times.
