Hearthstone Delay for iPhone and Android Phones

A mobile version of the critically acclaimed collectable card game Hearthstone will not be released until 2015, its developer Blizzard Entertainment has announced.

While the PC and iPad editions have now amassed more than 20 million players worldwide, Blizzard has said it needs more time rebuilding the title for smaller mobile screens. However, the Android tablet version is still on schedule for release by the end of 2014.

"Throughout the past year, many of you have been asking about the release date for Hearthstone on Android. The team has been hard at work to bring Hearthstone to that platform, and is making great progress," reads a notice on the Hearthstone blog.

"We’re taking things one step at a time and we’ve got our sights set on a release for Android tablets, our next new platform, before the end of the year.

"We’re also close to having Hearthstone out to our iPhone and Android phone users, but it’s become clear that we need a little more time to get that version right. While we have a build up and running internally, it needs a bit more work, and we don’t feel like we’ll be ready to share it with you until early next year."

Because a maximum of 14 cards can be played on a Hearthstone board, each with their own details and statistics, condensing this to the size of a mobile phone whilst keeping those details legible means a straightforward port is out of the question.

"It’s very important to us that the phone experience for Hearthstone is just as accessible as the tablet and PC versions," Blizzard wrote.

"One of the biggest challenges with that is revamping the user interface so it feels intuitive and offers the same quality Hearthstone experience, but this time from the palm of your hand.

"Releasing Hearthstone on iPhone and Android phones is something we’re incredibly excited about, but ultimately we’d rather take the extra time to make Hearthstone’s user interface on the phone customized to feel great for the platform, rather than a port that doesn’t take into account the limitations of a smaller screen."

Since it was formally released on PC in March, and then on iPad in April, Hearthstone has cultivated a community of hardcore and casual players, with more than 20 million people having played the game.

The free-to-play title recently expanded with the single-player Naxxramas challenges, which also included some thirty new cards. The next major update to the game, according to Blizzard, will add around 100 new cards.