New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard: Report

Exciting developments are on the horizon for fans of the iconic sci-fi universe of StarCraft, as Blizzard is reportedly receiving a flurry of pitches from prominent Korean studios to expand the beloved franchise. According to a report highlighted by @KoreaXboxnews on X / Twitter, Asia Today has revealed that four leading Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are in the race to develop new StarCraft games and secure publishing rights. Some of these companies have even made the journey to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their innovative ideas.

NCSoft, known for their work on the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is rumored to be proposing a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG, which could bring a fresh narrative-driven experience to the franchise. Nexon, creators of The First Descendant, are said to be pitching a "unique" take on the StarCraft IP, hinting at a potentially groundbreaking approach. Meanwhile, Netmarble, behind titles like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is eyeing a StarCraft mobile game to capture the growing mobile gaming market. Krafton, renowned for PUBG and their upcoming The Sims competitor inZOI, is planning to leverage their development expertise for a new StarCraft title.

While pitches and proposals are commonplace in the video game industry, the news of these developments has undoubtedly sparked excitement among StarCraft enthusiasts, especially considering the significant time since the last major release in the series. Activision Blizzard has remained tight-lipped, declining to comment on these reports when approached by IGN.

Adding to the buzz, Blizzard is reportedly making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, marking their third endeavor in this genre. This project is being led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, speaking on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked, shared insights from his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, confirming the project's development status at the time of writing.

Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters has been fraught with challenges, with previous attempts like StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002 and canceled in 2006, and the more recent codenamed project Ares, canceled in 2019 to prioritize Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2, both ending prematurely. Despite these setbacks, Blizzard's persistence in exploring the shooter genre within the StarCraft universe remains strong, with recent job listings pointing towards an “upcoming open-world shooter game,” strongly suggesting another StarCraft FPS in the works.

In addition to these ambitious projects, Blizzard has been actively engaging the StarCraft community by releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and introducing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. These moves indicate a gradual but steady ramping up of activities around the StarCraft IP, promising an exciting future for fans of the franchise.