Not a lot of games can claim that they've had a lasting impact on the gaming industry. Not a lot can say that they've helped shape legislation in some countries. However, most of the time you actually wouldn't want to. But that's where Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm finds itself in now. While neither Blizzard nor Heroes of the Storm, or HotS, are facing any trouble right now, it is these two that inspired new legislation in South Korea's parliament.

Heroes of the Storm inspires South Korean HOTS Law against esports tournament stoppages

Congressman Dong-su Yoo of the Democratic Party of Korea, reports The Esports Observer, put forward the HOTS Law last Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The HOTS Law, named after Blizzard's Heroes of the Storm MOBA game, aims to prevent game publishers from unilaterally terminating an esports competition. In late 2018, due to the poor financial performance of its esports scene, Blizzard decided to abruptly kill its esports scene. Professional players, who at that point had not been notified by Blizzard about the move, got blindsided. This led to a massive outcry from the Heroes of the Storm esports community. Still, Blizzard never revived HotS‘s esports scene and has since removed the game from their priority lists.

The HOTS Law aims to prevent such cases from happening ever again. HOTS Law will require publishers and developers to inform professional teams, organizations, players, and the community at large months before terminating support for their esports ventures. Yoo says:

“In esports, if the game publisher is no longer willing to support the competition, the rights of many other parties who are involved in the competitions, including esports organizations, players, casters, viewers, and others would seriously be affected by these kinds of unilateral decisions.”

Yoo also expressed concern towards the youth. He pointed out that most players belong to the below-20 age group, people whose careers are just forming. These players mostly rely on the game for their livelihoods and have the most to lose by abrupt closures. Yoo believes that the HOTS Law will help protect the youth from such damage.