Blizzard today announced the addition of a new major mode to Hearthstone, branding it Hearthstone Battlegrounds.

It's a notable update to Blizzard's digital collectible card game because it appears to be chasing the popularity of DotA Auto Chess and other games in the fast-growing" auto chess" genre.

Hearthstone Battlegrounds appears to pit 8 players against each other (in contrast to Hearthstone's usual 2v2 format) and features a minion-recruiting mechanic seen in games like DotA Auto Chess and Riot Games' Teamfight Tactics. 

Blizzard's Ben Thompson announced that the game mode would be released alongside Hearthstone's upcoming Descent of Dragons expansion, which is expected to debut December 10th; Hearthstone Battlegrounds will be available in an early access form starting next week, with an open beta expected to kick off November 12th.