Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly exploring new avenues for its iconic StarCraft franchise, with several Korean studios pitching innovative game concepts. According to Asia Today, four prominent Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying for the opportunity to develop new StarCraft games and secure publishing rights. Representatives from these companies have even traveled to Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their ideas.
NCSoft, known for its successful MMOs like Lineage and Guild Wars, has proposed a StarCraft RPG, potentially an MMORPG. Nexon, the developer behind The First Descendant, has pitched a "unique" take on the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, with titles like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad under its belt, is aiming to create a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the powerhouse behind PUBG and inZOI, is looking to leverage its development capabilities to craft a new StarCraft experience.
While pitches and proposals are common in the gaming industry, the interest from these major studios signals Blizzard's ongoing commitment to expanding the StarCraft universe. This is particularly exciting for fans, as it's been a while since the last major release in the franchise. Activision Blizzard has remained tight-lipped, declining to comment on these developments when approached by IGN.
Adding to the buzz, Blizzard is reportedly making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter. This project is being led by Dan Hay, a former Far Cry executive producer who joined Blizzard in 2022. This marks Blizzard's third try at a StarCraft shooter, following the canceled StarCraft Ghost in 2006 and the Ares project in 2019, which was shelved to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2.
The news of the new shooter project was shared by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier during a discussion on IGN's Podcast Unlocked about his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Schreier noted that while the book primarily focuses on Blizzard's history, the ongoing development of a StarCraft shooter underscores the company's persistent interest in the franchise.
Further fueling speculation, Blizzard recently posted job listings for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," which many believe could be the next StarCraft FPS. Additionally, Blizzard has been actively engaging with the StarCraft community by releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.
These developments suggest that Blizzard is not only committed to reviving the StarCraft franchise but also exploring diverse genres and platforms to bring fresh experiences to its fans.
