New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard

Blizzard is reportedly receiving several 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—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying to develop new games using the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights. Representatives from some of these companies have even traveled to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their proposals.

NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is said to be pitching a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, the creator of The First Descendant, has proposed 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 develop a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the company behind PUBG and inZOI, wants to leverage its own development capabilities to create a StarCraft game.

While pitches between video game companies are common, the interest from Blizzard in expanding the StarCraft universe is noteworthy, especially given the time since the last game in the franchise was released. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when contacted by IGN.

In related news, Blizzard is making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, marking their third effort in this genre. This project is being led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. The news was shared by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier during a discussion on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked about his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Schreier mentioned that while the book focuses on past events, the ongoing development of a StarCraft shooter was an important detail to include, highlighting Blizzard's persistent interest in the franchise.

Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters has been turbulent. The first attempt, StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002, aimed to be a tactical-action console game but was canceled in 2006 after numerous delays. A second project, codenamed Ares and described as "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe," was also canceled in 2019 to prioritize Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2.

More recently, Blizzard has been hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," which many believe to be a StarCraft FPS. Additionally, Blizzard has been actively engaging with the StarCraft community by releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.

These developments signal a potential resurgence for the StarCraft franchise, much to the delight of its dedicated fanbase.