Earlier this month, Hearthstone players were surprised and more than a little upset that the upcoming expansion “Perils in Paradise” would not have its own custom game board (the background against which Hearthstone matches are played). This quickly led to many pessimistic predictions

that this was the beginning of the end of Hearthstone and, like Blizzard's “Heroes of the Storm,” the beginning of a decline in service that would lead to Hearthstone's cancellation.

Blizzard's development team has now responded unequivocally, “We're not dying, honestly.” Instead, Blizzard wants Hearthstone players to know how Hearthstone updates will be made.

Hearthstone Executive Producer Nathan Lyons-Smith summed up Blizzard's response very succinctly: “Going forward, we will be the first to inform you of these changes and instead keep you more We will keep you informed."

Lyons-Smith added: ”We will continue to work hard to keep you informed.

Lyons-Smith also separately mentioned Hearthstone's current state, its most recent past, and what is being done for the future: “We are conducting meaningful research and development for the future of Hearthstone. We are not yet ready to share information about this work, and won't be for some time, but we want you to know that we are committed to Hearthstone as it is today.

“We have made changes over the past year and a half that are different from what you have come to expect from Hearthstone. We have not communicated our strategy for those changes well. We apologize for that. Going forward, my goal is to be more open. We should be proactive in sharing the changes we are making with the community, along with the context of why we are making the changes we are making. I will start working on that now,” he continued.

Most of the changes Lyons-Smith described in his post are aimed at customizing the game landscape that people want, as the player poll shows, rather than the same kinds of cosmetic changes Hearthstone has made for the past decade. Smith also highlighted future changes in the order of revamping and revitalizing game modes, including the addition of new cards and card pools to Arena and the addition of Battlegrounds Duos earlier this year.

The full statement on the future of Hearthstone can be found on Blizzard's website.