Hearthstone dropped from Asian Games 2023 esports program
Esports will be making its debut at Asian Games 2023 as a medal event. Hearthstone was one of the eight games to feature.
Hearthstone, an online digital collectible card game, has been removed from the esports program for Asian Games 2023 to be held in Hangzhou, China, later this year.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) approved the decision proposed by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) and Asian Electronic Sports Federation (AESF) during the fifth Coordination Committee meeting in Hangzhou on Thursday.
Hearthstone was one of the eight esports events set to feature at the Hangzhou Asian Games. However, the game was excluded after negotiations between Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase on operating rights and partnership fell through.
The OCA's latest decision is a significant setback for the Indian esports team. Tirth Mehta clinched a bronze medal in Hearthstone when esports was a demonstration event at the Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta.
Esports will make its debut as a full fledged medal event at Asian Games 2023. Medals won by competitors will count towards the final medal tally. Shikhar Choudhary and Karthik Varma were selected to represent the Indian team for Hearthstone at the Asian Games 2023.
Hearthstone’s exit leaves the following seven games in the Asian Games esports competition: FIFA Online 4, PUBG Mobile Asian Games version, Arena of Valor Asian Games version, Dota 2, League of Legends, Dream Three Kingdoms 2 and Street Fighter V.
The Asian Games 2023 will be held from September 23 to October 8. It was to be held in 2022 but was postponed due to COVID-19.