Last week, Blizzard Entertainment announced that multiple members of the development team of their crossover MOBA Heroes of the Storm are moving to other company projects. This resulted in the cancellation of next year's competitive events for the game. The HGC and Heroes of the Dorm events will not be returning in an official capacity in 2019. The sudden announcement caught many players by surprise, but some community members have stepped in to fill the void. Heroes Lounge is one of those communities.
Heroes Lounge bills itself as the "largest amateur league for Heroes of the Storm for all skill levels with live streamed games almost every day on Twitch." The league announced support for the competitive scene yesterday with a blog post. Boasting over 350 teams and thousands of players, the league focuses on the European and North American player base. In the post, Heroes Lounge announced a new league by the name of Heroes Lounge Division S. It will focus on high-level play and utilize a round-robin format. Planned rewards include crowd-funded prizes, and teams have the option to drop in and out with crucibles and qualifiers.
Interested teams can sign up for the new league starting in January. Qualifiers will follow, with teams playing on February 2 and 3. The league itself begins in March. Besides seeking players and teams, Heroes Lounge is also looking for volunteers to help work with the division. Those who wish to contribute financially to the league for prizes can do so using their Matcherino link, and it is currently nearing $7000. A calendar listing the community's upcoming games in other leagues can be found here.
Even a week later, Blizzard's forums are still abuzz with speculation about what the removal of events such as the HGC and Heroes of the Dorm will mean for Heroes of the Storm's future. Despite attempts to assuage player concerns, the conversation continues.
