Blizzard has announced that the first Heroes Brawl for its multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) Heroes of the Storm will launch tomorrow, October 18. Heroes Brawl offers a weekly rotation of new game types, each with different rules than the normal Heroes of the Storm experience. It’s a mode that Blizzard has implemented in its other games, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft and Overwatch. Blizzard is also releasing a new hero that day, Samuro, the Blademaster from the 2002 strategy game Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
The first Heroes Brawl is called Punisher Arena. Players choose from one of three random heroes and then fight in teams of three, trying to score points by killing enemy heroes and computer-controlled Punishers.
MOBAs are some of the most popular games on PC, notably with big hits like League of Legends of Dota 2 (the market’s two leaders). Blizzard doesn’t release player numbers for Heroes of the Storm, but it’s unlikely that it has reached the same level of success. However, new content can bring in new players, while giving current ones new experiences. Engaging players make them more likely to buy additional content like new heroes and cosmetics, which is especially important for a free-to-play title like Heroes of the Storm.
The new hero Samuro is a close-range attacker that can hide with stealth for short periods and create mirror images of himself. You can see a video introducing the character below.