Summary
Hearthstonejust set a new record for the largest ban wave the collectible card game has ever seen. Nearly 200,000Hearthstoneaccounts have been closed since the beginning of the year, with a focus on clearing out bots and bad actors from the Tavern.
Like most live-service multiplayer games,Hearthstoneis engaged in a permanent battle against players who engage in botting – using programs and automation to play the game, usually to acquire currency or other rewards to sell or exploit in some fashion. Over the last 10 years, Blizzard’s collectible card game has done what it can to battle bots, including adding the ability forHearthstonefans to report suspicious or malicious behavior.
Since the start of 2024,Hearthstonehas banned a record-breaking number of actionable accounts. According to aforum post fromHearthstonecommunity manager Vyraneer, during January, it banned over 60,000 accounts that were flagged for botting, or who were exploiting the game in other ways. Then, on February 7,Hearthstonetook action against over 135,000 botting accounts in the single biggest ban wave inHearthstonehistory. Altogether,Hearthstonehas banned nearly 200,000 accounts in just over a month.
Hearthstone Bans Nearly 200,000 Accounts
Ban waves are not new to live-service games likeHearthstone. Companies often ban large numbers of accounts in singular waves to make it more challenging for malcontents to pick up on the companies’ tracking methods. However, large ban waves in most other games usually number in the thousands, such as a recent example of about11,000 bans inEscape from Tarkov. ThisHearthstoneban wave is several times larger than an average one, making it a rather significant event.
Then again, it is clear that Blizzard does not mess around when it comes to bans. In December 2023,World of Warcraftbanned over 270,000 accountsfrom both retail andClassic. This marked the largest mass account closure the company had reported since it began sharing monthly banning statistics last June.
Unfortunately, the recent mass layoffs from Microsoft impacted themajority of Blizzard’s customer support team. This means many of the company’s games, includingHearthstone, lost moderators, game masters, and other roles that help find these accounts in favor of outsourced agents. That said,Hearthstone’s recent message makes it clear it is committed to the hunt for botting accounts. Hopefully, the game can continue to catch these bad actors in light of these layoffs, and keep building a better environment for theHearthstonecommunity.
Hearthstone
WHERE TO PLAY
Deceptively simple, insanely fun. Sheathe your sword, draw your deck, and get ready for Hearthstone—the fast-paced strategy card game that’s easy to learn and massively fun. You’ll play your cards to sling spells, summon creatures, and command the heroes of Warcraft in duels of epic strategy. Did we mention it’s free to play? Get Packed for Paradise with Hearthstone’s newest expansion, Perils in Paradise.Play on your own schedule—most games take less than 10 minutes whether you’re battling your friends or the AI. Hearthstone’s easy to learn and extremely accessible gameplay is available for Windows, Mac, and iPad.Your deck is centered around a legendary hero and composed of minions, spells, items, and abilities from the epic Warcraft universe. While you play, the sights, sounds, and other details packed into Hearthstone bring the Warcraft universe to life in a way you’ve never experienced before.
