Hearthstone open beta delayed

Hearthstone, Blizzard's digital strategy card battling game, will remain in a closed beta for at least a while longer. Originally set to enter open beta this month, Blizzard felt it best to delay the next step. As a result, Hearthstone will not enter open beta until it's "ready for wider testing."

"We’ve been making great progress on improving server stability, but there are still a few things that have come up that we want to fix before we leave the closed beta phase.," production director Jason Chayes wrote on the game's website.

"With all of that said, we believe the right thing to do for the game is to not rush it out into open beta, but to instead hold onto it a little longer to make sure it’s ready for wider testing."

"At BlizzCon, we mentioned that we hoped to get the game into a state where it’s ready for open beta this month, but we’re just not quite there yet," he explained. "The development team has been working hard to get this out before the end of the year, but our highest priority is that Hearthstone has an awesome launch when all gates are lifted and everyone can download it and play at the same time."

Hearthstone is said to be "very close" to entering the next phase, but Blizzard is still looking for your help. "Keep trying out new decks, reporting bugs, and giving your feedback on our forums. That’s the best way you can help the team get Hearthstone into everyone’s hands as soon as possible," he said.

The good news is that Blizzard has sent beta invites to everyone who opted into the Hearthstone closed beta test prior to Monday, December 16. Opt-ins for the closed beta test will end on January 7, at which point Blizzard plans to invite everyone who opts in by that date to the closed beta test "at some point" before the open beta begins.

While delays are never a fun thing to hear, it's usually a good sign that the developer would rather release a polished product than rush something out. Also, Blizzard is known for taking their time with things, so this should've been expected.