New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard

Exciting news for StarCraft fans: Blizzard is reportedly in talks with several Korean studios, each vying to develop new games based on the iconic StarCraft IP. According to a report by Asia Today, highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, four prominent Korean companies are in the race: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Representatives from these companies have even made trips to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to pitch their ideas.

NCSoft, known for its successful MMOs like Lineage and Guild Wars, is proposing a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, the team behind The First Descendant, has a "unique" vision for the StarCraft universe. Netmarble, with titles such as Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad under its belt, is aiming to create a mobile game set in the StarCraft world. Meanwhile, Krafton, creators of PUBG and inZOI, is looking to leverage its development expertise to bring a new StarCraft experience to life.

While pitches between game companies are routine, the involvement of these major studios signals Blizzard's interest in expanding the StarCraft universe. However, it remains to be seen whether any of these projects will come to fruition. Activision Blizzard has not provided any comments on the matter when approached by IGN.

In a related development, Blizzard is reportedly working on its third attempt at a StarCraft shooter, led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. This project was mentioned in Jason Schreier's book, "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment," during his appearance on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked. Schreier noted, “If it’s not canceled! This is Blizzard after all. Their history with StarCraft shooters is not good.” Despite past setbacks, this endeavor reaffirms Blizzard's commitment to the StarCraft franchise.

Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters has been turbulent. The first attempt, StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, was meant to be a tactical-action console game but was canceled in 2006 after numerous delays. A second project, codenamed Ares, aimed to be "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe," but was also canceled in 2019 to shift focus to Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, Blizzard has been hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," which many believe to be another StarCraft FPS.

Amid these developments, Blizzard is also keeping the StarCraft flame alive with releases like StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and a crossover event with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. As anticipation builds, StarCraft enthusiasts have plenty to look forward to, even if the future of these new projects remains uncertain.