Found in Hearthstone
Just like the ability to change your PSN name, we’ve been waiting for an “appear offline” function for a long while for Blizzard’s various online games.
Say what you will about the feature and how it’s “not needed,” but as a former hardcore WoW raider I would have loved to be able to jump into a quick session for fun without getting a million messages — a sentiment that can apply to just about any game where you have a large amount of acquaintances and friends in various circles.
Despite years of waiting it might actually still come though, as Hearthstone’s new update, when datamined, shows a clear “I’m appearing offline” button for not only chat, but for your friendlist as well. This feature has been “coming soon” since 2012, but given Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan’s passion for it and the sheer popularity of the game, it’s possible that they had an influence in kicking its engineering team into gear to roll it out.
Despite this wishy-washy history, the Hearthstone code is probably the strongest argument yet that it’s actually being worked on.
Blizzard’s Appear Offline Mode Spotted in a Hearthstone Update [Hearthpwn]
