Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly considering a revival of its beloved StarCraft franchise, as multiple Korean studios have pitched new game concepts to the company. According to Asia Today, four prominent Korean developers—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying to secure the rights to develop new StarCraft games, with some even traveling to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their ideas.
NCSoft, known for its MMOs like Lineage and Guild Wars, has proposed a StarCraft RPG, potentially an MMORPG. Nexon, the studio behind The First Descendant, is suggesting a unique take on the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, which developed Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to create a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, famous for PUBG and inZOI, wants to leverage its own development capabilities for a new StarCraft title.
While these pitches are part of the regular business of securing publishing rights and development contracts, they signal Blizzard's ongoing interest in expanding the StarCraft universe. The franchise has been dormant since the last game's release, and fans are eager for new developments. When contacted by IGN, Activision Blizzard declined to comment on these reports.
Adding to the excitement, Blizzard is reportedly working on its third attempt at a StarCraft shooter. This project is led by Dan Hay, a former Far Cry executive producer who joined Blizzard in 2022. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier discussed this development on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, mentioning it in his book, "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment."
Schreier noted that while the project was in development at the time of writing, its future is uncertain, given Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters. Previous attempts, such as StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002 and canceled in 2006, and Ares, a Battlefield-like game canceled in 2019 to prioritize Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2, have not been successful.
Moreover, Blizzard's recent job postings for an "upcoming open-world shooter game" hint at another potential StarCraft FPS. The company is also actively engaging with the franchise by releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and introducing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.
These developments suggest that Blizzard is slowly but surely ramping up its efforts to bring StarCraft back into the spotlight, much to the anticipation of its dedicated fanbase.
