Blizzard is reportedly considering new pitches for StarCraft video games from several Korean studios, signaling a potential revival of the iconic sci-fi franchise. According to an article highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews and published by Asia Today, four Korean companies are in the running to develop new StarCraft titles and secure publishing rights: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Representatives from some of these companies have even visited Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their proposals.
NCSoft, renowned for its Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is reportedly pitching a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, the creator of The First Descendant, has proposed a "unique" use of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, known for Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is eyeing a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the studio behind PUBG and the upcoming Sims competitor inZOI, aims to develop a StarCraft game leveraging its own development capabilities.
While pitches and development contracts are commonplace in the video game industry, and there's no guarantee that these projects will come to fruition, StarCraft enthusiasts are undoubtedly excited by Blizzard's apparent interest in expanding the beloved universe. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.
This news follows reports from September that Blizzard is making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier discussed this project on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, referencing 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 his writing, Blizzard's track record with StarCraft shooters has been rocky.
Blizzard has a history of attempting to expand the StarCraft franchise beyond its real-time strategy roots. The first attempt, StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was a tactical-action console game that was canceled in 2006 after multiple delays. A second attempt, codenamed Ares and described as "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe," was canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2.
More recently, Blizzard was spotted hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," which many believe could be a StarCraft FPS. The company has also been actively promoting the franchise, releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.
As Blizzard explores new avenues for the StarCraft universe, fans remain hopeful that these efforts will lead to exciting new additions to the franchise.
