document_title: List of black Academy Award winners and nominees

question_text: who was the first black male to win an oscar

text: Best Actor in a Leading Role[edit]

text:
Best Actor in a Leading Role

Year
Name
Film
Role
Status
Milestone

1958
Sidney Poitier
The Defiant Ones
Noah Cullen
Nominated
First African-American actor to be nominated for Best Actor.

1963
Lilies of the Field
Homer Smith
Won
First black man to win an Oscar.
First African-American actor to win Best Actor.
First Bahamian to win Best Actor.
First African-American actor to receive two acting nominations (Best Actor).
Youngest African-American actor to win Best Actor (age 37).

1970
James Earl Jones
The Great White Hope
Jack Jefferson
Nominated

1972
Paul Winfield
Sounder
Nathan Lee Morgan
Nominated
First film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.

1986
Dexter Gordon
Round Midnight
Dale Turner
Nominated
First jazz musician to be nominated for Best Actor.

1989
Morgan Freeman
Driving Miss Daisy
Hoke Colburn
Nominated

1992
Denzel Washington
Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Nominated

1993
Laurence Fishburne
What's Love Got to Do with It
Ike Turner
Nominated
Second film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.

1994
Morgan Freeman
The Shawshank Redemption
Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding
Nominated

1999
Denzel Washington
The Hurricane
Rubin Carter
Nominated

2001
Training Day
Alonzo Harris
Won
Second African-American actor to receive the award for Best Actor.
First time two African-American performers won in leading role Oscars in the same year (Halle Berry, Monster's Ball).

Will Smith
Ali
Muhammad Ali
Nominated
First time multiple African-American actors received Best Actor nominations.

2004
Jamie Foxx
Ray
Ray Charles
Won
First African-American actor to receive two acting nominations in the same year.

Don Cheadle
Hotel Rwanda
Paul Rusesabagina
Nominated

2005
Terrence Howard
Hustle & Flow
DJay
Nominated

2006
Forest Whitaker
The Last King of Scotland
Idi Amin
Won

Will Smith
The Pursuit of Happyness
Chris Gardner
Nominated

2009
Morgan Freeman
Invictus
Nelson Mandela
Nominated

2012
Denzel Washington
Flight
William "Whip" Whitaker
Nominated

2013
Chiwetel Ejiofor
12 Years a Slave
Solomon Northup
Nominated
First black British actor to be nominated for Best Actor.

2016
Denzel Washington
Fences
Troy Maxson
Nominated

2017
Roman J. Israel, Esq.
Roman J. Israel
Nominated
Denzel Washington has the most nominations for an African-American Actor: Best Actor (6 nominations) and Best Supporting Actor (2 nominations).
First African-American actor to be nominated two years in a row

Daniel Kaluuya
Get Out
Chris Washington
Nominated
Second black British actor to be nominated for Best Actor

text: Best Actress in a Leading Role[edit]

text:
Best Actress in a Leading Role

Year
Name
Film
Role
Status
Milestone

1954
Dorothy Dandridge
Carmen Jones
Carmen Jones
Nominated
First African-American actress to be nominated for Best Actress.

1972
Diana Ross
Lady Sings the Blues
Billie Holiday
Nominated
First African-American actress to receive an Academy Award nomination for a debut film performance.
First time multiple African-American actresses received Best Actress nominations.

Cicely Tyson
Sounder
Rebecca Morgan
Nominated
First film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.
First time multiple African-American actresses received Best Actress nominations.

1974
Diahann Carroll
Claudine
Claudine
Nominated

1985
Whoopi Goldberg
The Color Purple
Celie Johnson
Nominated
First time multiple African-American actresses received nominations for the same film.

1993
Angela Bassett
What's Love Got to Do with It
Tina Turner
Nominated
Second film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.

2001
Halle Berry
Monster's Ball
Leticia Musgrove
Won
First African-American actress to win Best Actress.
First time two African-American performers won in leading role Oscars in the same year (Denzel Washington, Training Day).

2009
Gabourey Sidibe
Precious
Claireece "Precious" Jones
Nominated
Second film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.
Second African-American actress to receive a lead Academy Award nomination for a debut film performance.

2011
Viola Davis
The Help
Aibileen Clark
Nominated
Third film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actress and Supporting Actress categories.

2012
Quvenzhané Wallis
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Hushpuppy
Nominated
Youngest ever Best Actress nominee (aged 9).
Third African-American actress to receive a lead Academy Award nomination for a debut film performance.
First person born in the 21st century to receive an Academy Award nomination.

2016
Ruth Negga
Loving
Mildred Loving
Nominated
First black Irish actress to be nominated.
First black African (Ethiopia) actress to be nominated in lead.

text: Best Actor in a Supporting Role[edit]

text:
Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Year
Name
Film
Role
Status
Milestone

1969
Rupert Crosse
The Reivers
Ned
Nominated
First African-American actor to be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

1981
Howard Rollins
Ragtime
Coalhouse Walker Jr.
Nominated

1982
Louis Gossett Jr.
An Officer and a Gentleman
Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley
Won
First African-American actor to win Best Supporting Actor.

1984
Adolph Caesar
A Soldier's Story
Sgt. Waters
Nominated

1987
Morgan Freeman
Street Smart
Fast Black
Nominated
First time multiple African-American actors received Best Supporting Actor nominations.

Denzel Washington
Cry Freedom
Steve Biko
Nominated

1989
Glory
Pvt. Trip
Won
First African-American actor to receive two Best Supporting Actor nominations.

1992
Jaye Davidson
The Crying Game
Dil
Nominated
First black actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for a debut film performance.
Youngest black actor to receive an Academy Award nomination (age 24)
First black British actor to receive an Academy Award nomination.

1994
Samuel L. Jackson
Pulp Fiction
Jules Winnfield
Nominated

1996
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Jerry Maguire
Rod Tidwell
Won
Youngest African-American male actor to win an Academy Award (age 29).

1999
Michael Clarke Duncan
The Green Mile
John Coffey
Nominated

2003
Djimon Hounsou
In America
Mateo
Nominated
First black actor born in Africa (specifically in Benin) to receive an Academy Award nomination.

2004
Morgan Freeman
Million Dollar Baby
Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris
Won
Oldest African-American actor to win an Academy Award (age 67).

Jamie Foxx
Collateral
Max
Nominated
First African-American actor to receive two acting nominations in the same year.

2006
Djimon Hounsou
Blood Diamond
Solomon Vandy
Nominated

Eddie Murphy
Dreamgirls
James 'Thunder' Early
Nominated
First film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

2013
Barkhad Abdi
Captain Phillips
Abduwali Muse
Nominated
Second black actor born in Africa (specifically in Somalia) to receive an Academy Award nomination.
Second black actor to receive an Academy Award nomination for a debut performance.

2016
Mahershala Ali
Moonlight
Juan
Won
Second film to feature black nominees for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
First Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
First time two African-American performers won in supporting role Oscars in the same year (Viola Davis, Fences).

text: Best Actress in a Supporting Role[edit]

text:
Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Year
Name
Film
Role
Status
Milestone

1939
Hattie McDaniel
Gone with the Wind
Mammy
Won
First African American to win an Academy Award.
First African American to be nominated for acting.

1949
Ethel Waters
Pinky
Mrs. Dicey Johnson (Pinky's Granny)
Nominated
Second African American to be nominated for an Academy Award.

1959
Juanita Moore
Imitation of Life
Annie Johnson
Nominated

1967
Beah Richards
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Mrs. Prentice
Nominated
If Carol Channing's claim of African-American heritage is accurate (it was not known at the time and has not been independently confirmed), this would be the first time multiple African-American actresses received Best Supporting Actress nominations

1983
Alfre Woodard
Cross Creek
Geechee
Nominated

1985
Margaret Avery
The Color Purple
Shug Avery
Nominated
First (or second, see Beah Richards above) time multiple African-American actresses received Best Supporting Actress nominations.
First time multiple African-American actresses received nominations for the same film.

Oprah Winfrey
Sofia
Nominated

1990
Whoopi Goldberg
Ghost
Oda Mae Brown
Won
First African-American actress to receive two acting nominations overall.
Second African-American actress to win Best Supporting Actress.

1996
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Secrets & Lies
Hortense Cumberbatch
Nominated
First black British actress to receive an Academy Award nomination.

2002
Queen Latifah
Chicago
Matron Mama Morton
Nominated
First female hip hop artist to be nominated for an Academy Award.

2004
Sophie Okonedo
Hotel Rwanda
Tatiana Rusesabagina
Nominated
Second black British actress to receive an Academy Award nomination.

2006
Jennifer Hudson
Dreamgirls
Effie White
Won
Youngest African-American actor (male or female) to win an Academy Award (age 25).
First film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

2007
Ruby Dee
American Gangster
Mama Lucas
Nominated
Oldest African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award (age 83).

2008
Viola Davis
Doubt
Mrs. Miller
Nominated
Second (or third, see Beah Richards above) time multiple African-American actresses received Best Supporting Actress nominations.

Taraji P. Henson
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Queenie
Nominated

2009
Mo'Nique
Precious
Mary Lee Johnston
Won
Second film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

2011
Octavia Spencer
The Help
Minny Jackson
Won
Third film to feature African-American nominees for both Best Actress and Supporting Actress.

2013
Lupita Nyong'o
12 Years a Slave
Patsey
Won
First black African (Kenyan) actress to be nominated.
First black African to win in any category.

2016
Viola Davis
Fences
Rose Maxson
Won
Tied with Octavia Spencer as the most nominated black actress ever with three nominations.
First time two African-American performers won in supporting role Oscars in the same year (Mahershala Ali, Moonlight).

Naomie Harris
Moonlight
Paula
Nominated
Third black British actress to receive an Academy Award nomination
Second film to feature black nominees for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

Octavia Spencer
Hidden Figures
Dorothy Vaughan
Nominated
Third black actress following Whoopi Goldberg and Viola Davis to earn multiple Oscar nominations. First black actress to be nominated after previously winning.

2017
The Shape of Water
Zelda Fuller
Nominated
First black actress to be nominated twice after previously winning. First black actress to be nominated two years in a row. Tied with Viola Davis as the most nominated black actress ever with three nominations.

Mary J. Blige
Mudbound
Florence Jackson
Nominated
First black woman to receive multiple Oscar nominations in the same year.
First person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and writing an original song in the same year. Her nomination made Dee Rees the first African-American woman to direct a film for which an actor or actress was nominated for an Academy Award.[1][2]

text: Best Cinematography[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1998
Remi Adefarasin
Elizabeth
Nominated
First black person to be nominated for Best Cinematography.

2016
Bradford Young
Arrival
Nominated
First African American to be nominated in the category.

text: Best Costume Design[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Best Costume Design

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1992
Ruth E. Carter
Malcolm X
Nominated
First African American to be nominated for Best Costume Design.

1997
Amistad
Nominated

2004
Sharen Davis
Ray
Nominated

2006
Dreamgirls
Nominated

text: Best Director[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Best Director

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1991
John Singleton
Boyz n the Hood
Nominated
First African American to be nominated for Best Director.
Youngest person ever nominated in this category (age 24).

2009
Lee Daniels
Precious
Nominated
Second African American to earn a Best Director nomination.
First African-American director to earn a Best Picture nomination.

2013
Steve McQueen
12 Years a Slave
Nominated
First black British to earn a Best Director nomination.
First black director to direct a Best Picture winning film.
First black director to earn an Oscar for Best Picture.

2016
Barry Jenkins
Moonlight
Nominated
Second black director to direct a Best Picture winning film.

2017
Jordan Peele
Get Out
Nominated

text: Best Documentary Feature[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Documentary Feature

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1987
Callie Crossley (director/producer)
Bridge to Freedom
Nominated
Shared with James A. DeVinney.

1990
Yvonne Smith (producer)
Adam Clayton Powell
Nominated
Shared with Richard Kilberg.
First African-American producer to be nominated for Best Documentary Feature.

1997
Spike Lee (director/producer)
Samuel D. Pollard (producer)
4 Little Girls
Nominated
First African-American director to be nominated for Best Documentary Feature.

2004
Karolyn Ali (producer)
Tupac: Resurrection
Nominated

2012
T. J. Martin (director)
Undefeated
Won
First African American to win in this category.
First African-American director to win in this category.

2016
Ava DuVernay (director/producer)
13th
Nominated
First black woman to be nominated in this category.

Roger Ross Williams (director/producer)
Life, Animated
Nominated
Shared with Julie Golden.

Raoul Peck (director)
Hébert Peck (producer)
I Am Not Your Negro
Nominated
First Haitian to be nominated in this category.

Ezra Edelman (director/producer)
O.J.: Made in America
Won

2017
Yance Ford (director)
Strong Island
Nominated
First openly transgender man to be nominated for any Academy Award. First openly transgender director to be nominated for any Academy Award. Shared with Joslyn Barnes.

text: Best Documentary Short Subject[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

2000
Leelai Demoz
On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom
Nominated
Shared nomination with Eric Simonson.
First African American to be nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject.

2009
Roger Ross Williams
Music by Prudence
Won
Shared nomination with Elinor Burkett.
First African American to win Best Documentary Short Subject.

text: Best Film Editing[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Film Editing

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1969
Hugh A. Robertson
Midnight Cowboy
Nominated
First African American to be nominated for Best Editing.

2016
Joi McMillon
Moonlight
Nominated
First African-American woman to be nominated for Best Editing.

text: Best Music, Original Score[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Original Music Score

Year
Name
Country
Film
Status
Milestone

1961
Duke Ellington

Paris Blues
Nominated
First African American to be nominated for Best Original Score. Nominated for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

1964
Calvin Jackson

The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Nominated
Nomination shared with Robert Armbruster, Leo Arnaud, Jack Elliott, Jack Hayes and Leo Shuken.

1967
Quincy Jones

In Cold Blood
Nominated

1971
Isaac Hayes

Shaft
Nominated
Nominated for Best Music, Original Dramatic Score.

1972
Gil Askey

Lady Sings the Blues
Nominated
First African American to be nominated in the Scoring Original Song Score and/or Adaptation (which is different from Best Original Score category).

1978
Quincy Jones

The Wiz
Nominated
First African American to be nominated in the Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score (which is different from Best Original Score category).

1984
Prince

Purple Rain
Won
First African-American winner of Best Original Song Score (which is different from Best Original Score category); this category was retired afterwards.

1985
Quincy Jones
Andrae Crouch
Caiphus Semenya

The Color Purple
Nominated
Shared nomination with 9 other composers. Caiphus Semenya became the first black South African to be nominated for an Academy Award.

1986
Herbie Hancock

Round Midnight
Won
First African-American winner of Best Original Score.

1987
Jonas Gwangwa

Cry Freedom
Nominated
Shared nomination with George Fenton

text: Best Music, Original Song[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Best Original Song

Year
Name
Country
Film
Song
Status
Milestone

1967
Quincy Jones
Bob Russell

Banning
"The Eyes of Love"
Nominated
First African Americans to be nominated for Best Original Song.

1968
For Love of Ivy
"For Love of Ivy"
Nominated
First African Americans to be nominated twice for Best Original Song.

1971
Isaac Hayes

Shaft
"Theme from Shaft"
Won
First African-American winner for Best Original Song.
First African-American winner of an award in any category other than acting.

1981
Lionel Richie

Endless Love
"Endless Love"
Nominated

1983
Irene Cara

Flashdance
"Flashdance... What a Feeling"
Won
First African-American woman to win a non-acting Academy Award.
Only African-American woman to win a competitive, non-acting Academy Award.
Shared nomination and win with Giorgio Moroder and Keith Forsey.

1984
Stevie Wonder

The Woman in Red
"I Just Called to Say I Love You"
Won

1984
Ray Parker Jr.

Ghostbusters
"Ghostbusters"
Nominated

1985
Lionel Richie

White Nights
"Say You, Say Me"
Won

Quincy Jones
Lionel Richie

The Color Purple
"Miss Celie's Blues"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Rod Temperton
Richie is the first (and to date, only) black person to receive multiple Best Original Song nominations in the same year.

1987
Jonas Gwangwa

Cry Freedom
"Cry Freedom"
Nominated
First black South African to be nominated in this category. Shared nomination with George Fenton.

1988
Lamont Dozier

Buster
"Two Hearts"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Phil Collins.

1993
Janet Jackson
Jimmy Jam
Terry Lewis

Poetic Justice
"Again"
Nominated

1994
James Ingram

Beethoven's 2nd
"The Day I Fall In Love"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Carole Bayer Sager and Cliff Magness.

1995
Junior
"Look What Love Has Done"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Carole Bayer Sager, James Newton Howard and Patty Smyth.

2005
Frayser Boy
Juicy J
DJ Paul

Hustle & Flow
"It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp"
Won
First African-American rappers to win an Academy Award.

2006
Siedah Garrett

Dreamgirls
"Love You I Do"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Henry Krieger.

2007
Jamal Joseph
Charles Mack
Tevin Thomas

August Rush
"Raise It Up"
Nominated

2011
Carlinhos Brown
Siedah Garrett

Rio
"Real in Rio"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Sergio Mendes.
Garrett is the most nominated African-American female songwriter (two nominations).
Brown is the first black Latin American nominated for Best Original Song.

2013
Pharrell Williams

Despicable Me 2
"Happy"
Nominated

2014
Common
John Legend

Selma
"Glory"
Won

2015
DaHeala
The Weeknd

Fifty Shades of Grey
"Earned It"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Belly and Stephan Moccio.
The Weeknd and DaHeala are the first black Canadians nominated for Best Original Song.

2017
Mary J. Blige
Raphael Saadiq
Taura Stinson

Mudbound
"Mighty River"
Nominated
Blige is also the first black woman to receive multiple Academy Award nominations in the same year. First person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and writing an original song in the same year.

Common

Marshall
"Stand Up for Something"
Nominated
Shared nomination with Diane Warren

text: Best Picture[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Best Picture

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1985
Quincy Jones
The Color Purple
Nominated
First African-American producer whose film was nominated for Best Picture.

2009
Lee Daniels
Precious
Nominated
First African-American director whose film was nominated for Best Picture.
First time two films with African-American producers were nominated for Best Picture.

Broderick Johnson
The Blind Side
Nominated
First time two films with African-American producers were nominated for Best Picture.

2012
Reginald Hudlin
Django Unchained
Nominated

2013
Steve McQueen
12 Years a Slave
Won
First black producer to win Best Picture.

2014
Oprah Winfrey
Selma
Nominated
First black female producer nominated for Best Picture.

2016
Denzel Washington
Fences
Nominated
First time that three films with black producers were nominated for Best Picture.

Pharrell Williams
Hidden Figures
Nominated

Kimberly Steward
Manchester by the Sea
Nominated

2017
Jordan Peele
Get Out
Nominated
First time an African American was honored with a Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay nominations in one year [3]

text: Best Short Film (Animated)[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

2017
Kobe Bryant
Dear Basketball
Won
Shared nomination with Glen Keane.
First African American to win Short Film (Animated).

text: Best Short Film (Live Action)[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Live Action Short Film

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1991
David Massey
Last Breeze of Summer
Nominated
First African American nominated for Short Film (Live Action).

1995
Dianne Houston
Tuesday Morning Ride
Nominated
First African-American woman nominated for Short Film (Live Action).

2017
Kevin Wilson, Jr.
My Nephew Emmett
Nominated

text: Best Sound Mixing[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Sound

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1978
Willie D. Burton
The Buddy Holly Story
Nominated
First African American to be nominated for Best Sound.

1980
Altered States
Nominated
First African American to be nominated multiple times for Best Sound.

1983
WarGames
Nominated

1988
Bird
Won
First African American to win Best Sound.

1989
Russell Williams
Glory
Won
Second African American to win Best Sound.

1990
Dances with Wolves
Won
First African American to win multiple Academy Awards in any category.
First and only African American to win consecutive awards in any category.

1994
Willie D. Burton
The Shawshank Redemption
Nominated

1999
The Green Mile
Nominated

2006
Dreamgirls
Won
First African American to be nominated, and to win, after category was renamed "Sound Mixing".

text: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay

Year
Name
Film
Adapted From
Status
Milestone

1972
Lonne Elder
Sounder
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
Nominated
First African-American nominee for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay).

1984
Charles Fuller
A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Play
by Charles Fuller
Nominated

2009
Geoffrey Fletcher
Precious
Push
by Sapphire
Won
First African American to win a screenplay Academy Award (Adapted Screenplay).

2013
John Ridley
12 Years a Slave
Twelve Years a Slave
by Solomon Northup
Won
Second African American to win a screenplay Academy Award (Adapted Screenplay).
First African-American writer to have written a film that won Best Picture.

2016
Barry Jenkins
Tarell Alvin McCraney
Moonlight
In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue
by Tarell Alvin McCraney
Won

August Wilson
Fences
Fences
by August Wilson
Nominated
First African-American writer to receive a posthumous nomination in this category

2017
Virgil Williams
Dee Rees
Mudbound
Mudbound
by Hillary Jordan
Nominated
Rees is the first queer black woman to be nominated for any Academy Award in a writing category, and the first black woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.[4]

text: Best Writing (Original Screenplay)[edit]

text:
Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay

Year
Name
Film
Status
Milestone

1972
Suzanne de Passe
Lady Sings the Blues
Nominated
Shared nomination with co-writers Chris Clark and Terence McCloy.
First African-American nominee for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
First African-American woman nominated for screen-writing.

1989
Spike Lee
Do the Right Thing
Nominated
First African-American man to be nominated for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).

1991
John Singleton
Boyz n the Hood
Nominated

2017
Jordan Peele
Get Out
Won
First African American to win for Best Writing (Original Screenplay).

text: Special awards[edit]

text:
Special Awards

Year
Name
Award

1948
James Baskett
Academy Special Award, for his characterization of Uncle Remus in Song of the South.

1995
Quincy Jones
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

2001
Sidney Poitier
Academy Honorary Award, "for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence".

2011
James Earl Jones
Academy Honorary Award, "for his legacy of consistent excellence and uncommon versatility"

Oprah Winfrey
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

2014
Harry Belafonte
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

2015
Spike Lee
Academy Honorary Award, "filmmaker, educator, motivator, iconoclast, artist....[and] a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers"

2017
Charles Burnett
Academy Honorary Award


document_title: Apple I

question_text: when was the first apple computer commercially released

root

text: Apple I

text: History[edit]

text: On March 5, 1975, Steve Wozniak attended the first meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club in Gordon French's garage. He was so inspired that he immediately set to work on what would become the Apple I computer.[7] After building it for himself and showing it at the Club, he and Steve Jobs gave out schematics (technical designs) for the computer to interested club members and even helped some of them build and test out copies. Then, Steve Jobs suggested that they design and sell a single etched and silkscreened circuit board—just the bare board, no electronic parts—that people could use to build the computers. Wozniak calculated that having the board design laid out would cost $1,000 and manufacturing would cost another $20 per board; he hoped to recoup his costs if 50 people bought the boards for $40 each. To fund this small venture, their first company, Jobs sold his van and Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator. Very soon after, Steve Jobs arranged to sell "something like 50" completely built computers to the Byte Shop (a computer store in Mountain View, California) at $500 each. To fulfill the $25,000 order, they obtained $20,000 in parts at 30 days net and delivered the finished product in 10 days.[8]

tag: p

text: The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 at a price of US$666.66,[9] because Wozniak "liked repeating digits" and because of a one-third markup on the $500 wholesale price.[10]

text: The first unit produced was used in a high school math class, and donated to Liza Loop's public access computer center.[11] About 200 units were produced and all but 25 were sold during nine or ten months.[8]

text: The Apple I's built-in computer terminal circuitry was distinctive. All one needed was a keyboard and a television set. Competing machines such as the Altair 8800 generally were programmed with front-mounted toggle switches and used indicator lights (red LEDs, most commonly) for output, and had to be extended with separate hardware to allow connection to a computer terminal or a teletypewriter machine. This made the Apple I an innovative machine for its day. In April 1977, the price was dropped to $475.[12] It continued to be sold through August 1977, despite the introduction of the Apple II in April 1977, which began shipping in June of that year.[13] In October 1977, the Apple I was officially discontinued and removed from Apple's price list.[14] As Wozniak was the only person who could answer most customer support questions about the computer, the company offered Apple I owners discounts and trade-ins for Apple IIs to persuade them to return their computers.[15] These recovered boards were then destroyed by Apple, contributing to their rarity today.[16]

text: Collectors' item[edit]

text: As of 2013, at least 63 Apple I computers have been confirmed to exist. Only six have been verified to be in working condition.

text:
An Apple I reportedly sold for $50,000 USD at auction in 1999.[17]
In 2008, the website "Vintage Computing and Gaming" reported that Apple I owner Rick Conte was looking to sell his unit and was "expecting a price in excess of $15,000 U.S." The site later reported Conte had donated the unit to the Maine Personal Computer Museum in 2009.[18]
A unit was sold in September 2009 for $17,480 on eBay.[19]
A unit belonging to early Apple Computer engineers Dick and Cliff Huston was sold on March 23, 2010, for $42,766 on eBay.[20]
In November 2010, an Apple I sold for £133,250 ($210,000) at Christie's auction house in London. The high price was likely due to the rare documents and packaging offered in the sale in addition to the computer, including the original packaging (with the return label showing Steve Jobs' parents' address, the original Apple Computer Inc 'headquarters' being their garage), a personally typed and signed letter from Jobs (answering technical questions about the computer), and the original invoice showing 'Steven' as the salesman. The computer was brought to Polytechnic University of Turin where it was fixed and used to run the BASIC programming language.[21][22][23]
On June 15, 2012, a working Apple I was sold at auction by Sotheby's for a then-record $374,500, more than double the expected price.[24] This unit is on display at the Nexon Computer Museum in Jeju City, South Korea.

Living Computers: Museum + Labs Apple I, working and available for visitors to use.

In October 2012, a non-working Apple I from the estate of former Apple Computer employee Joe Copson was put up for auction by Christie's, but found no bidder who was willing to pay the starting price of US$80,000 (£50,000).[25] Copson's board had previously been listed on eBay in December 2011, with a starting bid of $170,000 and failed to sell. Following the Christie's auction, the board was restored to working condition by computer historian Corey Cohen.[26] Copson's Apple I was once again listed on eBay, where it sold for US$236,100.03 on April 23, 2015.[27]
On November 24, 2012, a working Apple I was sold at auction by Auction Team Breker for €400,000 (US$515,000).[28]
On May 25, 2013, a functioning 1976 model was sold for a then-record €516,000 (US$668,000) in Cologne.[29] Auction Team Breker said "an unnamed Asian client" bought the Apple I. This particular unit has Wozniak's signature. An old business transaction letter from Jobs also was included, as well as the original owner's manual.[30]
On June 24, 2013, an Apple I was listed by Christie's as part of a special on-line only auction lot called, "First Bytes: Iconic Technology From the Twentieth Century." Bidding ran through July 9, 2013. The unit sold for $390,000.[31][32]
In November 2013, a working unit speculated to have been part of the original lot of 50 boards delivered to the Byte Shop was listed by Auction Team Breker for €180,000 ($242,820), but failed to sell during the auction. Immediately following the close of bidding, a private collector purchased it for €246,000 ($330,000). This board was marked "01-0046," matching the numbering placed on other units sold to the Byte Shop and included the original operation manuals, software cassettes, and shipping box autographed by Steve Wozniak. The board also bears Wozniak's signature.[33]
In October 2014, a working, early Apple 1 was sold at auction for $905,000 to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The sale included the keyboard, monitor, cassette decks and a manual. The auction was run by Bonhams.[34]
On December 13, 2014, a fully functioning, early Apple I was sold at auction for $365,000 by auction house Christie's. The sale included a keyboard, custom case, original manual and a check labeled "Purchased July 1976 from Steve Jobs in his parents' garage in Los Altos".[35]
On May 30, 2015, a woman reportedly dropped off boxes of electronics for disposal at an electronics recycling center in the Silicon Valley of Northern California, and they would now like to contact her. Included in the items removed from her garage after the death of her husband was an original Apple I computer, which the recycling firm sold for $200,000 to a private collector. It is the company's practice to give back 50% of the proceeds to the original owner when an item is sold, so they want to find the mystery donor.[36][37]
On September 21, 2015, an Apple I bearing the Byte Shop number 01-0059 was listed by Bonhams Auctions as part of their "History of Science and Technology" auction with a starting bid of US$300,000. The machine was described as, "in near perfect condition." The owner, Tom Romkey, "...only used the Apple-1 once or twice, and ...set it on a shelf, and did not touch it again."[38] The machine did not sell.[39] However, Glenn and Shannon Dellimore, the co-founders of GLAMGLOW, a beauty company which they sold to Estee Lauder Companies, bought this rare working Apple-1 after the auction through Bonhams Auction house. On the 40th Anniversary of Apple Computers 2016 the Dellimore's working Apple-1 went on loan and on display at world-famous V&A 'Artifact' Museum in London, England. https://www.artfund.org/what-to-see/exhibitions/2016/09/10/you-say-you-want-a-revolution-records-and-rebels-1966-70-exhibition
On August 26, 2016, (the 40th Anniversary year of Apple Computers), the rarest Apple-1 in existence, an Apple-I prototype made and hand-built by Steve Jobs himself (according to Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen) and dubbed the 'Holy Grail' of computers was sold for $815,000 to winning bidders Glenn and Shannon Dellimore, the co-founders of cosmetics firm Glamglow,[40] in an auction by Charitybuzz. The for-profit internet company that raises funds for nonprofit organizations declared that ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, based in New York.[41]
On April 15, 2017, an Apple I removed from Steve Jobs's office by Apple quality control engineer Don Hutmacher was placed on display at Living Computers: Museum + Labs. This Apple I was modified by Dan Kottke and Bill Fernandez. This previously unknown unit was purchased from Hutmacher's heirs for an undisclosed amount.

tag: ul

text: Serial numbers[edit]

text: Both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak have stated that Apple did not assign serial numbers to the Apple l. Several boards have been found with numbered stickers affixed to them, which appear to be inspection stickers from the PCB manufacturer/assembler. A batch of boards is known to have numbers hand-written in black permanent marker on the back; these usually appear as "01-00##" and anecdotal evidence suggests they are inventory control numbers added by the Byte Shop to the batch Apple sold them. These Byte Shop numbers have often erroneously been described as serial numbers by auction houses and in related press coverage.[42]

text: U.S. Museums displaying an original Apple 1 Computer[edit]

text:
American Computer & Robotics Museum in Bozeman, Montana
Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California
Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington DC
Living Computers: Museum + Labs in Seattle, WA

text: Clones and replicas[edit]

text: Several Apple I clones and replicas have been released in recent years. These are all created by hobbyists and marketed to the hobbyist/collector community. Availability is usually limited to small runs in response to demand.

text:
Replica 1: Created by Vince Briel. A software-compatible clone, produced using modern components, released in 2003 at a price of around $200.[43][44][45][46]
A-One: Created by Frank Achatz, also using modern components.[47]
Obtronix Apple I reproduction: Created by Steve Gabaly, using original components or equivalents thereof. Sold through eBay.[48]
Mimeo 1: Created by Mike Willegal. A hardware kit designed to replicate a real Apple I as accurately possible. Buyers are expected to assemble the kits themselves.[49]
Newton 1: Created by Michael Ng and released in 2012. Similar to the Mimeo 1, but is said to be made using the same obsolete processing technique commonly used in the 1970s. Boards, kits and assembled boards are sold through eBay occasionally. There are both Newton NTI and non-NTI versions available.[50][51]
Brain Board, a plug in firmware board for the Apple II that, with the optional "Wozanium Pack" program, can emulate a functional Apple-1.[52]

text: Emulation[edit]

text:
Apple 1js, a web-based Apple I emulator written in JavaScript.[53]
MESS, a multi-system emulator able to emulate the Apple I.
OpenEmulator, an accurate emulator of the Apple I, the ACI (Apple Cassette Interface) and CFFA1 expansion card.
Pom1, an open source Apple I emulator for Microsoft Windows, Arch Linux and Android devices.[54]
Apple 1 Emulator, an emulator for the SAM Coupé home computer.[55]
CocoaPom, a Java-based emulator with a Cocoa front end for Macintosh.[56]
Sim6502, an Apple I emulator for Macintosh.[57]


document_title: Presentation layer

question_text: which layer of osi model is responsible for formatting message packets

text: Presentation layer

text: Description[edit]

text: The presentation layer is responsible for the delivery and formatting of information to the application layer for further processing or display.[4] It relieves the application layer of concern regarding syntactical differences in data representation within the end-user systems. An example of a presentation service would be the conversion of an EBCDIC-coded text computer file to an ASCII-coded file.

text: The presentation layer is the lowest layer at which application programmers consider data structure and presentation, instead of simply sending data in the form of datagrams or packets between hosts. This layer deals with issues of string representation - whether they use the Pascal method (an integer length field followed by the specified amount of bytes) or the C/C++ method (null-terminated strings, e.g. "thisisastring\0"). The idea is that the application layer should be able to point at the data to be moved, and the presentation layer will deal with the rest.

text: Serialization of complex data structures into flat byte-strings (using mechanisms such as TLV or XML) can be thought of as the key functionality of the presentation layer.

text: Encryption is typically done at this level too, although it can be done on the application, session, transport, or network layers, each having its own advantages and disadvantages.[1] Decryption is also handled at the presentation layer. For example, when logging on to bank account sites the presentation layer will decrypt the data as it is received.[1] Another example is representing structure, which is normally standardized at this level, often by using XML. As well as simple pieces of data, like strings, more complicated things are standardized in this layer. Two common examples are 'objects' in object-oriented programming, and the exact way that streaming video is transmitted.

text: In many widely used applications and protocols, no distinction is made between the presentation and application layers. For example, HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), generally regarded as an application-layer protocol, has presentation-layer aspects such as the ability to identify character encoding for proper conversion, which is then done in the application layer.

text: Within the service layering semantics of the OSI network architecture, the presentation layer responds to service requests from the application layer and issues service requests to the session layer.

text: In the OSI model: the presentation layer ensures the information that the application layer of one system sends out is readable by the application layer of another system. For example, a PC program communicates with another computer, one using extended binary coded decimal interchange code (EBCDIC) and the other using ASCII to represent the same characters. If necessary, the presentation layer might be able to translate between multiple data formats by using a common format.

text: Services[edit]

text:
Data conversion[2]
Character code translation[2]
Compression[2]
Encryption and Decryption[2]

text: Sublayers[edit]

text: The presentation layer can be composed of two sublayers: common application service element (CASE) and specific application service element (SASE).[5]

text: CASE[edit]

text: The common application service element sublayer provides services for the application layer and request services from the session layer. It provides support for common application services, such as:

text:
ACSE (Association Control Service Element)[5]
ROSE (Remote Operation Service Element)
CCR (Commitment Concurrency and Recovery)
RTSE (Reliable Transfer Service Element)

text: SASE[edit]

text: The specific application service element sublayer provides application specific services (protocols), such as

text:
FTAM (File Transfer, Access and Manager)
VT (Virtual Terminal)
MOTIS (Message Oriented Text Interchange Standard)
CMIP (Common Management Information Protocol)
JTM (Job Transfer and Manipulation) a former OSI standard
MMS (Manufacturing Messaging Service)
RDA (Remote Database Access)
DTP (Distributed Transaction Processing)

text: Protocols[edit]

text: Other protocols sometimes considered at this level (though perhaps not strictly adhering to the OSI model) include:

text:
Apple Filing Protocol (AFP)
Independent Computing Architecture (ICA), the Citrix system core protocol
Lightweight Presentation Protocol (LPP)
NetWare Core Protocol (NCP)
Network Data Representation (NDR)
Telnet (a remote terminal access protocol)
Tox, The Tox protocol is sometimes regarded as part of both the presentation and application layer
eXternal Data Representation (XDR)
X.25 Packet Assembler/Disassembler Protocol (PAD)


document_title: Hearthstone (video game)

question_text: when does the new set of hearthstone come out

text: Hearthstone (video game)

text: Gameplay[edit]

text: Hearthstone is a digital-only collectible card game that revolves around turn-based matches between two opponents (player vs. player or player vs. computer opponent) using pre-made decks of cards from their collection.[2] In matches, players use their card deck, representing summonable minions, spells, and other actions, along with their selected Hero's unique power, to try to defeat their opponent by reducing their health to zero before the opponent can do the same to them. Players can choose from a number of game modes, with each offering a slightly different experience. Players start the free-to-play game with a limited collection of basic cards but can gain rarer and more powerful cards through purchasing packs of cards through micropayments or as rewards from specific game modes. Blizzard has added new cards sets through Expansions and Adventures, roughly three times a year, to increase the pool of available cards. To help newer players remain competitive with experienced ones while also keeping the metagame dynamic, Blizzard has implemented two different styles of gameplay; Standard which uses only the basic set of cards plus those of the most recent expansions, and Wild, which allows any cards to be used.

text: Hearthstone is set within the Warcraft universe, with its characters, spells and locations drawing from existing lore. Each player is represented by a 'hero', a character from Warcraft lore representing one of nine specific classes. The classes are defined by their unique hero power that can be used during a player's turn, and the selection of class-specific cards that the player uses to construct the hero's deck.[3]

text: The game features several modes of gameplay. The standard Play mode allows players to challenge other players or computer opponents. Players can compete with other players or the computer in casual matches, or in ranked play against human opponents to rise up a tier-ladder system within each month-long season, earning in-game rewards for higher placement.[4] Solo Adventures allow players to complete challenges against computer opponents, often with unique conditions, cards, or powers, to earn cards.[5] The boss encounters feature unique dialogue elements.[6] Arena mode allows the player to draft a deck, selecting one of three random cards until they reach thirty, and then challenge other players until either they lose three times or win twelve times, earning in-game rewards based on the win-loss record.[7] Tavern Brawls are challenges that change weekly, that may offer unique heroes, cards, rules, or limits on deck construction; winning a weekly challenge also earns the player in-game rewards.[8] Atop these modes in the game there are up to three randomly-selected quests which generally can only be completed within Play or Arena modes against human opponents; completing these quests earns the player in-game gold or other rewards; a random quest is added daily.

text: Card sets[edit]

text: The following table lists the card releases by their type or expansion name, their North American date of release (with the release in other regions typically within a day afterward), the date of the expansion's transfer to the Wild format, and the distribution of cards within that release. Blizzard has announced there will be three expansions of about 130 cards each in 2017.[9]

text: Blizzard has adopted a "Year" moniker to identify when expansions have been retired from Standard format; the first, "Year of the Kraken", lasting from April 2016 to March 2017, retired the Curse of Naxxramas and Goblins vs. Gnomes expansions, while the "Year of the Mammoth", starting in April 2017, retired the Blackrock Mountain, The Grand Tournament and League of Explorers sets. Initially, retired expansions were not available to purchase, but in July 2017, players were able to purchase these and all future expansions that are retired from Standard on Blizzard's website.[10] In the "Year of the Mammoth", Standard moved some Classic cards to the "Hall of Fame" set that is not playable in Standard but still can be obtained and available to play in Wild format.[9][11]

text:
Collectible cards breakdown

Set (abbreviation)
Release type
Release date
Removal date
from Standard format
Total
Common
Rare
Epic
Legendary

Basic
Core
March 11, 2014
N/A
133
N/A

Classic[a]
Core
March 11, 2014
N/A
239
91
80
37
31

Reward[b]
Core
March 11, 2014
April 26, 2016
0
0
0
0
0

Curse of Naxxramas (Naxx)[12]
Adventure
July 22, 2014[13]
April 26, 2016
30
18
4
2
6

Goblins vs. Gnomes (GvG)
Expansion
December 8, 2014[14]
April 26, 2016
123
40
37
26
20

Blackrock Mountain (BRM)[15]
Adventure
April 2, 2015[16]
April 6, 2017
31
15
11
0
5

The Grand Tournament (TGT)
Expansion
August 24, 2015[17]
April 6, 2017
132
49
36
27
20

League of Explorers (LoE)
Adventure
November 12, 2015[18]
April 6, 2017
45
25
13
2
5

Whispers of the Old Gods (WOG)[19]
Expansion
April 26, 2016[4]
TBA 2018
134
50
36
27
21

One Night in Karazhan (Kara)
Adventure
August 11, 2016[20]
TBA 2018
45
27
12
1
5

Mean Streets of Gadgetzan (MSG)
Expansion
December 1, 2016[21]
TBA 2018
132
49
36
27
20

Hall of Fame (HoF)[9]
Core
April 6, 2017
April 6, 2017
10
3
1
1
5

Journey to Un'Goro (Un'goro)[11]
Expansion
April 6, 2017[22]
TBA 2019
135
49
36
27
23

Knights of the Frozen Throne (KFT)
Expansion
August 10, 2017[23]
TBA 2019
135
49
36
27
23

Kobolds and Catacombs (K&C)
Expansion
December 2017[24]
TBA 2019
135
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA

All released cards (through KFT)
1324
465
338
204
184

tag: table

text:
Jump up ^ Six cards originally in Classic were moved to the Hall of Fame set that is not playable in Standard.
Jump up ^ Four Reward cards were originally included and given to players on completing certain tasks. Two Reward cards were not playable in Standard in the Year of the Kraken; with the Year of the Mammoth, all Reward cards were moved into the Hall of Fame set.

tag: ol

text: Development[edit]

text: Conception[edit]

text: Development of Hearthstone at Blizzard was inspired by two directions, according to developer Eric Dodds: a desire for Blizzard to develop something more experimental with a smaller team in contrast to their larger projects, and the shared love of collectible card games throughout the company.[25] Blizzard executives, around 2008, had considered that their revenue was primarily sustained on three well-established properties (the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo series), but saw the rise of small independent developers with highly successful projects, representing a shift in the traditional video game model. To explore this new direction, Blizzard brought a number of people into "Team 5", named after being the fifth development team formed at Blizzard.[26] Initially, the team had between 12 and 15 members, in contrast to other Blizzard games with teams in excess of 60 members.[25] By November 2015, the team had 47 members.[27]

text: Of the game types they explored, Team 5 soon focused on the collectible card game approach, given that many on the team and in Blizzard had played such games since their introduction.[26] The team found it natural to build the card game around the existing Warcraft lore; according to production director Jason Chayes, Warcraft was already a well-known property, and the depth of characters and locations created for other games in that series made it easy to create cards inspired by those. They also saw that new players to Warcraft may be drawn into the other games through playing Hearthstone.[28] The team was able to pull concepts and art from the pre-existing World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, first published in 2006 by Upper Deck and later by Cryptozoic Entertainment; when Hearthstone was near completion, in 2013, Blizzard terminated its license with Cryptozoic as to favor their pending digital card game.[26] The addition of heroes, an aspect from the previous trading card game, was found to help personalize the game for the player to allow players to discover useful combinations of cards for each hero.[28][26]

text: Game design and programming[edit]

text: After about a year of starting development, the team had produced an Adobe Flash prototype of the game that offered the core card game mechanics and the unique heroes. At this point, several on Team 5 were temporarily moved into other teams to complete the release of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. This 10-to-11 month period was considered fortuitous by the team, according to Chayes. Principal designers Dodds and Ben Brode remained developing Hearthstone, and the two were able to quickly iterate many ideas using both the prototype and physical replicas to fine-tune the game mechanics. Secondly, those that were put on StarCraft II came back with ideas based on StarCraft's asymmetric gameplay to help balance the various heroes while still creating a unique characterization and play-style for each.[26]

text: Further development on the game's user interface began using the principle that the game needed to be both accessible and charming, being able to draw in new players and to be clear how to play the game.[26] Unity is used as the game engine in the interest of speed and to make the game run smoother since the server is where all of the rules exist and calculations happen then the server tells the client what happened. Dodds stated that "it's important that you don't have to spend a lot of time understanding the rules to play the game, the depth grows as you go."[26] Gameplay elements such as pre-made decks for each hero, deck building helps, and visual cues on which cards could be played were used to guide new players. Card text was written in a way so that a new player should be able to immediately understand the effects.[26]

text: From the beginning, the game was designed to be played solely online and to mimic the feel of physical cards to make it more accessible to new players. Dodds found that past attempts to digitize physical card games by other companies left areas they felt were lacking, and wanted to improve on that experience.[25] One particular example are card games where players have the ability to react to other players; Dodds noted that when playing in the same room as another player, these types of interactions are straightforward, but consume a great deal of time in a virtual space. Hearthstone was designed to eliminate any gameplay from the opponent during the player's turn, streamlining the game.[28]

text: Other aspects of the game's interface were set to replicate the feel of a physical game being watched by an audience: Hearthstone starts with the player opening a box, during gameplay the cards waver and move while in their hand, and cards when played slam down on the board. When attacking, cards leap across the board to strike the target; when a massive spike of damage is dealt, the board shakes; when a massive creature is summoned, an unseen audience gasps in awe.[28] Hearthstone also offers interactive boards. The boards on which the cards are played can be interacted with in various ways, such as virtually petting a dragon, although the feature is purely for entertainment and has no effect on gameplay.[28] This idea came out from the movie Jumanji in which a board game comes to life, and also mimics how physical card players would often toy with their cards while waiting on their opponent.[29]

text: Unlike physical trading card games, "Hearthstone" was designed early on without any trading system between players. Hamilton Chu, executive producer of Hearthstone, stated that "a key thing for us was focusing on [the user]... playing the game", and that trading and market features would dilute this experience.[30] Blizzard wanted to do things such as avoid a free market where card values could fluctuate, discourage cheating methods like bots and duping, reduce the unauthorized third party sales (all against the terms of use), and keep the profit derived from the game for the company.[31]

text: The game's name, Hearthstone, was meant to imply to a close gathering of friends by a hearth, a goal of what they want players to feel.[28] According to Chayes, they had experimented with other constructs of where these card games would take place, and only about halfway through development came onto the idea of using a pub's hearth as the theme; Chayes stated that with that concept, "this is a great way to play, it works with all our values, it has a lot of charm".[29] To maintain a friendly environment around this construct, they added in the ability to trigger one of a few friendly compliments that can be said by a hero, so that players could still emote to their opponent without having to worry about any vitriol.[29]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text: The soundtrack was composed by Peter McConnell; with trailer music by Jason Hayes.[32] According to McConnell and Dodds, who oversaw the music direction, they wanted to create a soundtrack that would reflect the tavern setting they had established for the game, but they did not want to overwhelm this theme. McConnell came upon the idea of mixing Celtic music with blues rock—pondering the idea of "what if ZZ Top or Golden Earring had been transported back in time to the Middle Ages?"—and working in other previous Warcraft themes among the new songs with help from Hayes.[32] Hayes also worked with Glenn Stafford to create short "stingers" of music used when players summon Legendary cards.[32]

text: Promotion and release[edit]

text: Internal beta testing of the game within Blizzard began in 2012. A closed beta was launched in August 2013, while the game was put into open beta in January 2014.[29] These beta testing periods were used to evaluate the game's balance, adjusting cards they found to be too powerful or too weak, and making sure no single Hero or deck type dominated the game.[29] As they approached the game's release in March 2014, Blizzard found that it was hard to generate interest in getting people to try the game, believing that once they tried it they would be drawn into the game; those they asked to try the game felt that Hearthstone wasn't the type of game they would be interested in playing. At this point, Blizzard opted to make Hearthstone free to play supported by microtransactions for less patient players. This helped to significantly boost the game's popularity on release.[29]

text: Ongoing support[edit]

text: Blizzard provides regular bug fixes, updates, and expansions for Hearthstone. Hamilton Chu, the executive producer for Hearthstone, stated that Blizzard intends to support the game for ten to twenty years, similar to Blizzard's other titles, though they have no long-term plan of how they would continue to introduce cards.[33] The principle means that additional cards have been introduced to the game are through either themed Expansions or Adventures. Expansions are new card sets, containing between 100-200 new cards, that become available to buy or win, as well introducing new mechanics to the gameplay.[34][35][36] Adventures feature smaller number of cards, between 20-45, which can only be earned by completing multiple tiers of story-based challenges and boss fights in single player mode. Blizzard had originally envisioned to release Expansions in a staged approach as to not drastically jar the player community, creating the Adventure concept for the first post-release addition with Curse of Naxxramas. By the meta-game remained unpredictable both during and for several months, helping to keep the playing community interested in the game and validating their approaches. The solo challenges on Adventure mode also served as a means to help players understand some of the stronger archetypes of card decks and learn strategies to defeat them, helping them become better players against human opponents.[37] Going forward in 2017 in the "Year of the Mammoth", future expansions will principally be around the new cards sets, forgoing Adventures. Blizzard recognized that players do enjoy the single-player narrative events and will work in quests and missions around the new card sets for those players.[9]

text: Development of the themes and mechanics for each Expansion and Adventure are often based on the current atmosphere around the Hearthstone community, according to senior designer Mike Donais.[33] While early expansions were based on the Warcraft franchise, the developers have been able to move away from staying with that narrative and are free to create new aspects not established by Warcraft. This idea was reflected by the dropping of the "Heroes of Warcraft" subtitle from the game's name around December 2016 to demonstrate to new players that the game was no longer tied to Warcraft.[38]

text: In addition to new cards and mechanics, Blizzard has also worked to add new features to Hearthstone itself. The Tavern Brawl mode was in development for over a year before it was released in June 2015; the feature went through many iterations before the team was satisfied.[39] Dodds equated the Tavern Brawl mode as a place to try experimental mechanics that may later be introduced to the game, as well as to offer gameplay that varies significantly from other areas of play within Hearthstone.[40] Blizzard experimented with cross-platform play during development, having successfully played a game on PC against a player using an iPad; however, it was not a feature at launch.[41] Cross-platform play was added in April 2014.

text: The introduction of the Standard vs. Wild formats in April 2016 was an issue that the developers knew since Hearthstone's initial release that they would need to address; according to Brode, as new cards were introduced to the game, they recognized that new players would start to find the game inaccessible, while adjusting the balance of the meta-game of which cards from previous expansions had proven over- or underused.[42] The ideas for how to actually implement Standard mode started about a year before its introduction. Though they will continue to design the game to maintain the appropriate balance for the Standard format, they will also monitor how future cards will impact the Wild format and make necessary changes to keep that mode entertaining.[42] With the Year of the Mammoth changes to Standard, the designers opted to move some Classic cards to a new "Hall of Fame" set that is not usable in Standard. They found that these cards were often "auto-includes" for certain deck types, and created a stagnant metagame around those decks, and opted to move them out of Standard. As compensation, those that own these Hall of Fame cards received the arcane dust value of the cards they possess while still being able to use those cards in Wild.[9] The "Hall of Fame" format also allows Blizzard to move Classic cards that have been nerfed (purposely weakened) previously to be un-nerfed and moved into the "Hall of Fame"; Blizzard found that players using Wild decks were impacted significantly by these nerfs and this approach would allow those deck formats to still thrive without disrupting Standard. To make up for cards moving out of Classic, Blizzard may consider bringing in individual cards from retired sets into the Classic set that they believe would be suitable for Standard.[43] The associated switch of Arena mode from Wild to Standard with modified card rarity distributions with the "Year of the Mammoth" update was aimed to keep the pool of cards available to draft smaller, increasing the chances of drafting cards that they had intended to be used in synergistic combinations from the individual expansions.[44]

text: Release[edit]

text: Hearthstone was first announced at Penny Arcade Expo in March 2013 for Windows, Mac, and iPad, with an expected release date in the same year.[45][46] In August 2013, the game went into closed beta, to which over one million players had been invited as of November 8, 2013,[35] with plans to enter open beta in December.[47][48][49] Blizzard continued closed beta into mid-January 2014 despite their original estimation.[50] Blizzard announced open beta for North America on January 21, 2014.[51] Open beta was announced for Europe on January 22, 2014[52] and on January 23, 2014 open beta was made available in all regions.[53]

text: The game was released on March 11, 2014,[54] available on Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems. By the end of March 2014, the game had more than 10 million player accounts registered worldwide.[55] On April 2, 2014, the game was released for iPad in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.[56] On April 16, 2014 it was released globally, supporting all iPads except the first iPad.[57] On August 6, 2014, support for Windows 8 touchscreen devices was added to the game, although not for Windows RT devices.[58] On December 15, 2014, the game was released for Android tablets 6" or larger in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and on December 16, 2014 it was widely released for Android tablets.[59] On April 14, 2015, the game was released for iPhone and Android smartphones worldwide. The smartphone version of the game includes new UI elements that place the player's hand on the bottom right but only half visible, so players must tap on their hand to zoom in and play cards. Single cards can also be viewed full screen by tapping and holding on a specific card, which is useful to read all the card details while using a smartphone display.[60]

text: In-game promotions[edit]

text: To mark the release of Hearthstone, Blizzard released the Hearthsteed mount for World of Warcraft players that is obtained by winning three games in Arena or Play mode.[61] Widely advertised on various World of Warcraft websites, this promotion encourages World of Warcraft players to try Hearthstone, and marked the first significant crossover implemented between Blizzard games.

text: Players who purchased the Diablo III: Reaper of Souls expansion pack received Classic packs, with the deluxe and collector's editions granting additional packs.[62] Players who purchased World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Collector's or Digital Deluxe Edition received an Orc handiwork themed card back.[63] Heroes of the Storm players who reach level 12 receive a Heroes of the Storm themed card back and after winning 100 Play mode matches receive a Heroes of the Storm mount that looks like a flying card.[64] Players who purchase the StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void deluxe or collector's editions receive a Protoss themed card back.[65] Players who purchased either Overwatch Collector's or Origins Edition receive an Overwatch themed card back.[66] Starting on March 11, 2016, players who level a character to 20 in World of Warcraft, which can be completed with the free starter edition, earn the alternate Paladin hero Lady Liadrin.[67] An alternate hero for Shaman, Morgle the Oracle, is available through Hearthstone's "Recruit A Friend" program after the recruited friend reaches level 20.[68] Players that connected their Amazon Prime subscription to Twitch Prime in late 2016 earned the alternate Priest hero Tyrande Whisperwind.[69]

text: Players that pre-ordered with real money the Blackrock Mountain adventure received a card back, and players that pre-ordered 50 card packs of The Grand Tournament, Whispers of the Old Gods, Knights of the Frozen Throne or Kobolds and Catacombs received an exclusive card back.[70] Players that purchased the One Night in Karazhan adventure with real money within the first week of release received an exclusive card back.[71]

text: Other media[edit]

text: To promote the Journey to Un'Goro set, Blizzard made a web series called "Wonders Of Un'Goro" starring Danny Pudi as an adventurer.[72] Before releasing the Knights of the Frozen Throne set, Blizzard worked with Dark Horse Comics to publish a three issue comic book series based on the set.[73]

text: Competitions[edit]

text: Despite the designers' focus on accessibility and fast-paced gameplay, Hearthstone has been the focus of a number of tournaments. Blizzard hosted an exhibition tournament in November 2013 called "The Innkeeper's Invitational" with three decks each of a different class, featuring several well-known gamers such as Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski, Octavian "Kripparrian" Morosan, Jeffrey "TrumpSC" Shih and World of Warcraft multiple Arena season winner Byron "Reckful" Bernstein.[74] Artosis won the best-of-five tournament. In December 2013, 2P Entertainment hosted a tournament with a prize pool US$4,841 featuring the best players of the Chinese region versus the best players of the American region.[75] Hearthstone was the focus of a number of other tournaments during its closed beta, including those hosted by Major League Gaming and ESL. In March 2014, The eSports Association TeSPA announced the Collegiate Hearthstone Open, a free-to-enter tournament open to all North American college students, featuring $5,000 in scholarships.[76] Major League Gaming,[77] ESL[78] and the ZOTAC Cup[79] all continue to regularly host minor Hearthstone leagues in the North American and European territories with small or no prize pools aimed at everyday players. Blizzard staff "were a little surprised, in a good way" with the game's success as an eSport during its closed beta.[34]

text: In April 2014, Blizzard announced the first Hearthstone World Championship would be held at BlizzCon on November 7–8.[80] The tournament featured players from each of the game's four regions, with each region holding its own regional qualifying tournament. The Americas and Europe regions' qualifiers featured 160 players each, and determined half of those players from actual in-game performance in Ranked play during the April–August seasons. The four most successful participants of each region's qualifiers went to the World Championship, for a total of 16 players. The Hearthstone World Championship 2014 featured a total prize pool of $250,000, and the American winner, James "Firebat" Kostesich, received $100,000.[81][82]

text: The second Hearthstone World Championship was held at BlizzCon 2015 on November 7 with players selected in a similar way in the previous year and it was played in the best-of-five conquest format; the Swedish winner, Sebastian "Ostkaka" Engwall, received $100,000.[83]

text: The third Hearthstone World Championship was held at BlizzCon 2016 on November 5 and the winner was Russian Pavel "Pavel" Beltiukov, who earned $250,000.[84] It was played in a Swiss tournament format and one class could be banned from use by the opponent.

text: The fourth Hearthstone World Championship has a $1 million prize pool and will take place in January 2018.[85] The championship was moved to January to better accommodate the timing for the Standard mode year rotation.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text:
Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator
Score

Metacritic
IOS: 93/100[91]
PC: 88/100[92]

Review scores

Publication
Score

Eurogamer
10/10[86]

Game Informer
9/10[87]

GameSpot
8/10[88]

IGN
9/10[89]

PC Gamer (US)
80/100[90]

Edit on wikidata

text: Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft received "universal acclaim" on iOS and "generally favorable" reviews for PC, according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game was praised for its simplicity, gameplay pace, and attention to detail along with being free-to-play, while the lack of actual card trading between players and any form of tournament mode were pointed out as the major shortcomings. Eurogamer gave the game the perfect score of 10 and remarked that the game is "overflowing with character and imagination, feeds off and fuels a vibrant community of players and performers, and it only stands to improve as Blizzard introduces new features, an iPad version and expansions."[93] IGN and Game Informer both gave the game a slightly lower grade of 9/10,[94][95] with IGN's Justin Davis praising the game for its "elegant simplicity of rules" and "impressive attention to detail and personality, and the true viability of playing completely for free make it easy to fall under its spell and get blissfully lost in the depths of its strategic possibilities."[89] GameSpot gave the game a score of 8/10, praising the game for its depth and complexity. The only major drawback noted was that the "absence of extra features hampers long-term appeal".[88]

text: Later Hearthstone card expansions have also been well received. Game Informer rated the Curse of Naxxramas expansion 9/10, stating "Naxxramas is an excellent addition to the core game, and an exploration of sorts to examine the potential for additional single-player Hearthstone content [...] the adventure provides a substantial amount of new content that spills over into ranked, casual, and arena mode and changes how you approach the game."[96] PC Gamer found that "[Curse of Naxxramas is] a much-needed and fun refresher for Blizzard’s card battler", however "the next card expansion will need to be more sizeable", rating it 78/100.[97] Reception for Goblins vs. Gnomes has also been positive, with Game Informer writing "the first expansion set for Hearthstone is a major step forward for the already accessible and fun game", and awarding it a score of 9.25/10,[98] while Eurogamer scored it an 8/10, writing "whatever happens to Hearthstone in the future, the new content has stumbled a little by strengthening certain deck archetypes that needed no such help [...] it's re-introduced a thoughtfulness to play that's been absent for too long."[99]

text: Commentators have noted that Hearthstone can suffer from "pay to win", that those that invest monetarily into the game to get new cards and packs have generally a better chance of winning, though it is possible to be successful without spending money.[100][101] Some have observed that with some of the newer expansions, with the need for strong Legendary cards to construct good decks around, one may need to spend about $50 to $100 to get the right cards to make a successful decks in the Standard format, belying the game's free-to-play nature.[102]

text: Sales and playerbase[edit]

text: By September 2014, there were more than 20 million registered Hearthstone players[103][104] and by January 2015, there were more than 25 million.[105] As of June 2015, the active players were estimated to be about eight million PC players and nine million mobile device players, with some overlap between each group.[106] Blizzard reported 30 million players in May 2015, 40 million in November 2015 and 50 million in April 2016.[107] Blizzard reported it gains 20 million players over the following year, reaching 70 million unique players, and that they saw record numbers for simultaneous players during the launch of the "Journey to Un'Goro" expansion in April 2017.[108]

text: On May 6, 2015, Activision Blizzard announced that Hearthstone and Destiny have generated nearly $US1 billion in revenue for the company.[109] According to SuperData Research, in June 2015 Hearthstone generated about $20 million in revenue during that month.[110]

text: Hearthstone has proved to be a popular game to stream and watch on services like Twitch.tv; Hearthstone-based streams overtook Dota 2 streams to become the third-most watched game on the platform in September 2015[111] and it was the fourth-most watched game in April 2016.[112] In March 2017, Hearthstone was still the fourth-most watched game while nearly matching Dota 2's hours.[113]

text: Awards[edit]

text: Forbes awarded Hearthstone as the best digital card game of 2013.[114] At The Game Awards 2014, Hearthstone was awarded best mobile/handheld game.[115] In December 2014, GameSpot awarded Hearthstone with mobile game of the year.[116] GameTrailers awarded Hearthstone with multiplayer game of the year and best overall game of 2014.[117] At the DICE Awards 2014, Hearthstone was awarded with mobile game of the year and strategy/simulation game of the year.[118] At the 2014 BAFTA Awards, Hearthstone won best multiplayer game.[119] At the 2014 NAVGTR Awards Hearthstone won the Game, Strategy (Dan Elggren) award.[120]