Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft beta approaching soon

Blizzard has released updated news regarding its upcoming online collectible card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft.

In an announcement on the official website, production director Jason Chayes described the playable beta as "not days away", but "not months away, either".

According to Chayes, the discussion has so far focused on the North American beta. Plans for a dedicated beta in Europe, Korea, and Taiwan will include "fully localised builds".

Players who are chosen to participate in the beta testing phase and make a real-money in-game purchase will receive a "special token of appreciation" in the form of a golden version Gelbin Mekkatorque card. The card will only be available in the open and closed beta testing phases, and can be obtained via purchasing card packs or an Arena ticket. Card packs can also be earnt by participating in matches.

Three hundred total cards, based on the World of Warcraft classes, will be available at launch.

HearthStone: Heroes of Warcraft is an online collectible card game focused on one-versus-one matches, and uses Battle.net for matchmaking. Players can sign up to participate in the beta phase on the official website. The full game is due out this year.