Blizzard is reportedly considering a number of pitches from Korean studios for new StarCraft video games, signaling potential expansion of the beloved sci-fi franchise. According to an article highlighted by @KoreaXboxnews on X / Twitter, Asia Today revealed that four prominent Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying for the opportunity to develop new StarCraft titles and secure publishing rights. Representatives from some of these companies have even visited Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their proposals.
NCSoft, known for its work on the 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” take on the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, behind titles like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to develop a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, which developed the battle royale sensation PUBG and The Sims competitor inZOI, is looking to leverage its development capabilities for a new StarCraft game.
While it's common for game companies to pitch ideas to secure development contracts and publishing rights, it remains uncertain whether these pitches will lead to actual projects. However, this news is sure to excite StarCraft fans, given the franchise’s long hiatus since its last major release. When contacted by IGN, Activision Blizzard declined to comment on these developments.
Adding to the buzz, in September, it was revealed 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. This information came to light during a discussion on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked with Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who mentioned the project in his book, "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment." Schreier noted, “If it’s not canceled! This is Blizzard after all. Their history with StarCraft shooters is not good.”
Blizzard’s past efforts to expand StarCraft into the shooter genre have been fraught with challenges. The first attempt, StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was a tactical-action console game that was canceled in 2006 after numerous delays. A second project, codenamed Ares, described as “like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe,” was canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, Blizzard has been hiring for an “upcoming open-world shooter game,” which many believe could be a StarCraft FPS.
In addition to these developments, Blizzard has been actively engaging with the StarCraft community. They recently released StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass and announced a crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. These moves suggest that Blizzard is not ready to let the StarCraft universe fade into obscurity and is committed to exploring new avenues for its expansion.
