Blizzard is reportedly receiving a lot of pitches for brand new StarCraft video video games from Korean studios.
In an article delivered to the web’s consideration by X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, Asia Today listed 4 Korean firms who’re reportedly competing with one another to develop new video games based mostly on the StarCraft IP and safe publishing rights: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Apparently a few of these firms have traveled to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to make their pitches.
NCSoft, which is behind the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is claimed to have pitched a StarCraft RPG of some type (an MMORPG?). Nexon, maker of The First Descendant, has pitched a “distinctive” use of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble (Solo Leveling: Come up, Game of Thrones: Kingsroad) is hoping to make a StarCraft cellular sport. And Krafton, the corporate behind battle royale PUBG and The Sims competitor inZOI, desires to make a StarCraft sport “based mostly by itself growth capabilities.”
After all, online game firms pitch different online game firms on a regular basis in relation to securing publishing rights and growth contracts. And it might be the case that nothing talked about right here goes anyplace. However StarCraft followers will definitely be aware of Blizzard’s reported curiosity in doing… one thing to broaden the much-loved sci-fi universe, given how lengthy it’s been for the reason that final sport within the franchise got here out. Activision Blizzard declined to remark when contacted by IGN.
It’s price remembering that in September, it emerged that Blizzard was making a 3rd try at growing a StarCraft shooter, with former Far Cry government producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, main the cost.
The information got here from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier whereas chatting with IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, beneath, about his latest e-book, Play Good: The Rise, Fall, and Way forward for Blizzard Leisure. Hay’s StarCraft shooter is talked about within the e-book, and IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey requested Schreier if it’s prone to really come out.
“If it’s not canceled!” Schreier replied. “That is Blizzard in any case. Their historical past with StarCraft shooters will not be good.
“Sure, that could be a undertaking that so far as I do know is in growth, or a minimum of as of the time that I wrote this e-book was in growth. They’re engaged on a StarCraft shooter, StarCraft will not be lifeless at Blizzard.
“The objective of the e-book isn’t to get a bunch of scoops about upcoming issues. That wasn’t the aim of this e-book in any respect, it was very a lot to inform a narrative and deal with stuff that had occurred. However this felt like such an fascinating and helpful nugget to incorporate as a result of it actually simply reveals you that Blizzard can not stop StarCraft shooters.”
That was a reference to Blizzard’s notorious try and launch a StarCraft shooter previously as a part of a bid to broaden the StarCraft franchise past its real-time technique origins. StarCraft Ghost, introduced in 2002, was going to be a tactical-action console sport during which you performed as a lethal Ghost operative within the make use of of the Dominion, but it surely was canceled in 2006 after a collection of delays.
A second try and make a StarCraft shooter, codenamed Ares, was canceled in 2019 so Blizzard may deal with Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. Ares was reportedly “like Battlefield within the StarCraft universe,” however, like Ghost, fell by the wayside.
Extra lately, in November, Blizzard was noticed hiring for an “upcoming open-world shooter sport,” with all indicators pointing to it being a StarCraft FPS.
Issues are slowly ramping up for StarCraft. Blizzard lately launched StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Marketing campaign Assortment on Game Move, and introduced a StarCraft crossover with Warcraft card sport Hearthstone.
Wesley is the UK Information Editor for IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.