Blizzard is reportedly receiving a number of pitches for new StarCraft video games from Korean studios, sparking excitement among fans of the iconic sci-fi franchise. According to an article highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, Asia Today revealed that four prominent Korean companies are vying to develop new games based on the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Representatives from these companies have reportedly traveled to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their pitches.
NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is said to be proposing a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, the developer behind The First Descendant, has pitched a "unique" use of 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 company behind PUBG and the upcoming The Sims competitor inZOI, is interested in developing a StarCraft game leveraging its own development capabilities.
While pitches between video game companies are common, the interest from Blizzard in expanding the StarCraft universe is noteworthy, especially given the time that has passed since the last game in the franchise was released. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.
This news comes on the heels of 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, mentioning it in 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 history with StarCraft shooters has been fraught with challenges.
Blizzard's past attempts at StarCraft shooters include the infamous StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002 and canceled in 2006 after numerous delays, and Ares, a project canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, Blizzard was seen hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," which many believe to be a StarCraft FPS.
The StarCraft franchise is showing signs of revival, with Blizzard releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. These developments suggest that Blizzard is keen on exploring new avenues to expand the beloved StarCraft universe.
