The team responsible for developing the game Hearthstone at Blizzard has experienced layoffs

The news of staff reductions within the Hearthstone team initially came to light through a LinkedIn update posted by a former team member. Later, Activision Blizzard confirmed these layoffs in a statement provided to journalist Ethan Gach from Kotaku.

Hunter C., who had been with Blizzard Entertainment for 18 and a half years, revealed, "I have been laid off today without prior notice. It appears that the Hearthstone team is undergoing a restructuring, and my role as a Tools Engineer is no longer required."

Hunter C. further added, "To the best of my knowledge, Hearthstone was performing well; we had recently presented positive results during one of our team meetings."

According to a source, this restructuring impacted 10 individuals within the Hearthstone team.

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson stated, "Organizational changes have been implemented within the Hearthstone team, leading to some roles becoming redundant. We would like to extend our gratitude to these employees for their many years of dedicated contributions."

On Tuesday, Blizzard announced the appointment of Chris Metzen, a veteran of the studio, as the Executive Creative Director for Warcraft. Chris Metzen was one of the original team members who worked on the Warcraft universe when it was established in 1994.

Chris Metzen had a 23-year tenure at the company before retiring in 2016. However, he returned to the studio last year as a creative advisor for the leadership of Warcraft.

Blizzard mentioned, "Currently, his primary focus is actively supporting our World of Warcraft leadership in shaping the next generation of adventures. At BlizzCon, he and his team will be unveiling what we've been working on."

BlizzCon is scheduled to make its return at the Anaheim Convention Center in California on November 3-4, 2023. This will be the convention's first in-person event since 2019.