[GameSpot] - Hearthstone 21.0 Patch Goes Live, Revealing Cards After Canceled Stream

[343iBot]

Blizzard has revealed all of the cards from Hearthstone's upcoming United in Stormwind expansion, albeit without the usual fanfare. Most of the new cards, along with the new expansion track and other updates, were revealed via the 21.0 patch in preparation for the expansion launch on August 3.

The patch is currently rolling out across all platforms. Now that it's been released, the official Hearthstone site has updated its card library with the full set of 135 United in Stormwind cards. That includes all 65 cards that were to be revealed during the official Blizzard stream, along with a few others from streamers who canceled their own planned reveals in light of allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct at Activision Blizzard.

The 21.0 patch notes also detail more changes coming, including new content for Battlegrounds and Duels, and a new rotation for Arena. United in Stormwind will also introduce a new reward track with the Tavern Pass, so those rewards were outlined including new Diamond cards for Varian, King of Stormwind and Archbishop Benedictus. Finally, the patch revealed that the Illidan Book of Heroes single-player content is coming August 10.

While the company usually hosts a celebratory livestream to reveal expansion cards with commentary and a handful of exhibition matches, a California suit alleging sexual misconduct resulted in the United in Stormwind stream being scuttled. The stream was canceled without much notice, leading some community members to complain about the lack of communication regarding an expansion that had already been available for pre-purchase.

Hearthstone game designer Dean Ayala later explained the silence saying the team has been focused on "supporting each other and planning action for how we can make our work a better place for everyone." He also said that the shadow from the California suit made a celebration seem inappropriate, but did note that the company is proud of its coming expansion and still planning to release it on schedule.

Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard employees have begun taking public action regarding the legal claims. More than 2,000 employees filed an open letter criticizing management for its "abhorrent and insulting" response to the California suit. The staff is also planning a walkout tomorrow, July 28, with a demand to "improve conditions for employees at the company, especially women, and in particular women of color and transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups."

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