As of late, Blizzard Entertainment has been expanding the “Entertainment” part of their company’s title further than just producing high player base video games. With the release of the worldwide phenomenon, Overwatch, the company has been dabbling (with a high success rate) in the world of animated short films. This year’s Gamescom led the company to not only release a new “super cool” Overwatch animated gem, but a Hearthstone animated short as well.

As fans are well aware, Hearthstone is a card game that is set within World of Warcraft’s (WoW) Azeroth. The game has gained massive popularity from WoW players and even a huge following from some who have never traversed the massive world within the massive multiplayer online RPG. Taking notes from the success of the Overwatch animated short stories, Blizzard has decided to bring more story elements to the popular card game in the same manner. Check out “the first in an upcoming series” of Hearthstone animated shorts below:

The video above, titled Hearth and Home, is the first of many animated stories set within the world of Hearthstone. Blizzard has also announced that some of the characters featured in the musical number will be reoccurring characters within the series. In a press release, the company gave a list of characters fans can expect to see more of along with a brief character description for each:

• Harth Stonebrew: The Tavern’s jolly dwarven proprietor is a welcoming and gracious host.
• Ava: A curious teenage girl with an indomitable, resilient spirit and a knack for Hearthstone.
• Malto: This kindly old mage is a source of wisdom and encouragement.
• Sarge: Sarge is no ordinary mouse–Malto’s magical companion is the heart of the Tavern.
• Lou: A boisterous, happy-go-lucky paladin with a positive attitude. The life of the party.
• Fewz and Wick: These goblin brothers provide thrilling commentary for the Tavern’s most heated Hearthstone matches.
• Velaris: This snooty blood elf’s card collection is dwarfed only by the size of his ego.
• Roberta “Bertie” Clickfizzle: A brilliant gnome whose curiosity knows no bounds. She’s in her element when tinkering with unique deck ideas.
• Urk: This orc loves playing aggressive decks, but watch out! He has anger issues and has even been known to flip a table or two.

No word on when the next Hearthstone animated short will be released, but given the frequency of the Overwatch series, fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. In the meantime, Hearthstone is available for free on Windows PC, Android and iOS devices, as well as Macintosh operating systems.

Did you enjoy the first Hearthstone animated short, Hearth and Home? Do you think that blizzard is on the right track by providing entertainment outside of the games themselves? Which animated short story from Blizzard has been your favorite so far? Let us know in the comments section below. Be sure to follow DFTG on Twitter to stay up to date on the hottest news in gaming and entertainment via our 24/7 live news feed.