Blizzard delays Hearthstone test season 2

Free-to-play card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has had its test season 2 delayed due to issues found after recent server maintenance.

Test season 1 will continue until further notice, and player ranks will not have changed.

"During today’s Hearthstone closed beta maintenance (Thursday, January 2nd), we’ve discovered some pesky sprites that are currently preventing us from properly transitioning from Test Season 1 to Test Season 2," said Blizzard community manager Zeriyah on the game's forums.

"Due to these issues, we are extending the duration of Test Season 1 until we can ensure a smooth transition."

Hearthstone was due to hit open beta last month, but this was delayed into 2014. Blizzard did, however, hand out beta access for all those that had registered their interest in the game before December 20.

"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," wrote production director Jason Chayes in December.

Hearthstone will (eventually) be released on PC and Mac initially, with an iOS and Android release due to follow sometime later in 2014.