PC Gaming Weekly: It’s all in the cards

It’s an exciting time to enjoy card games on your PC. Market-leading Hearthstone, is addressing problems (some of which are long-standing issues, like duplicate Legendary cards). The Elder Scrolls: Legends added its first expansion, Heroes of Skyrim, bringing more than 150 cards (and lots of dragons!) to the game. The Witcher-based game Gwent is gaining steam, and Fable Fortune is twisting the rules of Magic and Hearthstone in its closed beta right now.

It’s a market that could hit $1.4 billion this year, market researcher SuperData projects, and it’s getting bigger.

I’m a sucker for each of these. Hearthstone has claimed more of my gaming time than anything else since its release in 2014. I play it on the train, while taking walks, and in the car (when I’m in the passenger seat, of course). I hit up Elder Scrolls Legends after I finish my daily quests in Hearthstone, and then I move into Fable Fortune. In the past, I’d play some SolForge, too, but it’s kinda of a mess after it almost died before executives at Grinding Gear Games (the folks who make Path of Exile, the online action-RPG in the spirit of Diablo II) saved that game from shutting down.

I’ve dabbled in some others, too: Shadowverse, Star Realms, and Hex. Shadowverse’s anime style turned me off. Star Realms is good, but it does have the same competitive hooks. I enjoyed Hex’s single-player mode, but my scant collection made the rest daunting to me.

But it’s OK that I don’t like all the cards games (and my wife and wallet agree with this, too!). And as we’re seeing with Fable Fortune, this market has plenty of room for innovation. Card games could find a home on consoles with the Nintendo’s hybrid portable Switch, and who knows what AR and VR could mean for this industry.

For PC gaming coverage, send news tips to Jeff Grubb and guest post submissions to Rowan Kaiser. Please be sure to visit our PC Gaming Channel.

—Jason Wilson, GamesBeat managing editor

P.S. The tyranny of Patches the Pirate invades this week’s Tavern Brawl in Hearthstone. It’s a 7-gun salute.

From GamesBeat

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