In a big change for Blizzard, it sounds like the new StarCraft shooter won't be a live-service game
Blizzard has revealed more tangible details about what the new StarCraft game actually is, beyond it being an open-world shooter due for release in 2030. In doing so, Blizzard likened it to being more of a 'boxed' release rather than an ongoing live-service game, which is a notable departure for a company that has dealt almost exclusively in online multiplayer games. Read more
Blizzard made an unusual announcement at the weekend by revealing release dates for two major games, Diablo 5 and the StarCraft open-world shooter, that are set far in the future - 2029 and 2030 respectively. This caused significant concern within the gaming community. The announcement came despite Blizzard's typical approach of keeping game dates shrouded until the very end.
Blizzard president Johanna Faries explained to Bloomberg that this new strategy is meant to demonstrate confidence in the company's upcoming projects. She emphasized Blizzard's commitment to delivering high-quality games on time and in full. Faries also acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding these big releases, suggesting that they may serve as a way to strengthen Blizzard's position against potential cuts at Microsoft's Xbox division.
The StarCraft shooter, which was revealed by former Ubisoft developer Dan Hay, is a departure from the series' traditional real-time strategy gameplay. Faries described it as a "broadening" of the franchise, aiming to appeal to a modern, next-generation audience while still maintaining the core RTS elements. Blizzard has also announced a range of other projects, including a new Diablo Netflix animated series, a Warcraft 3 campaign, and updates to World of Warcraft.
Written by urgent.news from Eurogamer's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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