The planned second test season for Blizzard’s card game Hearthstone has been delayed after maintenance revealed some sprite issues that prevented a transition between the seasons.

“Due to these issues, we are extending the duration of Test Season 1 until we can ensure a smooth transition.” Community manager Zeriyah told members of the forum on the 2^nd.

This follows on from Blizzard’s decision to delay Open Beta of the popular game until 2014 when originally it was scheduled for December 2013, when they also sent out invites to all who had opted-in for the Closed Beta before the 20^th of December. It also follows Blizzard’s line at that time about giving priority to putting out working and polished games rather than attempting to meet deadlines with a game that might be a little broken in places. Even if the hype for the game has settled down a little bit from its initial fever pitch, another small delay isn’t likely to turn many off from wanting to play the game if they can’t already.

The new test season would have reset player ranks, but for now the first test season continues for the foreseeable future. Future season ends will see rewards of alternate card backs and golden heroes based on the player’s performance.