The Hearthstone team announced its plans for esports expansion in 2017 this week. 
In a blog posted on the Hearthstone site, extensive details of changes and adds ons to the Hearthstone Championship Tour were revealed. These include Global Season Championships, Regional Season Playoffs, adjustments to points and cups, and an announcement that there would be an overall prize pool of $2 million (£ m). Further details can be read here.
Two other points to close the blog included the announcement of two new esports programs; Hearthstone Global Games and Hearthstone Inn-vitationals.
Of the global games it was stated: “The Hearthstone Global Games (HGG) aims to scratch this competitive itch and will feature teams of players from various countries battling it out weekly in a global league. Each team in the HGG will consist of the top Hearthstone Competitive Point earner from their country and three of their fellow community-voted countrypersons.”
The Inn-vitationals were described as follows: “Looking for a more light-hearted viewing experience? We’ve got you covered with the Hearthstone Inn-vitationals (HSI)! This series of exhibitions will showcase a variety of fun Hearthstone formats with some of your favorite Hearthstone personalities. Among the invitees will be popular streamers, winners of major tournaments, and celebrities. When a Hearthstone Inn-vitational rolls around, you won’t want to miss the zany antics or “playful banter” that might ensue!”
Hearthstone’s developer Blizzard will be hoping for a landmark year in 2017 as another of its top esports, Overwatch, continues to step up its game as a major title in competitive gaming.
Esports Insider says: A rather cheesy description of the Inn-vitationals aside this is an exciting set of announcements for Hearthstone fans and players, and the blog also announced that further details on each of the new programs would be revealed next year.
