New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard

Blizzard is reportedly receiving pitches for new StarCraft games from several Korean studios, sparking excitement among fans of the iconic sci-fi franchise. According to a report by Asia Today, highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, four prominent Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying for the opportunity to develop new titles using the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights.

NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is reportedly proposing a StarCraft RPG, potentially an MMORPG. Nexon, the creator of The First Descendant, has pitched a "unique" application of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, behind Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to develop a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the developer of PUBG and inZOI, is interested in creating a StarCraft game leveraging its own development capabilities.

While it's common for game companies to pitch ideas to secure publishing rights and development contracts, there's no guarantee that any of these proposals will come to fruition. However, Blizzard's reported interest in expanding the StarCraft universe is noteworthy, especially given the time elapsed since the last franchise release. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.

In a related development, Blizzard is reportedly making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. This news surfaced during a discussion on IGN's Podcast Unlocked with Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier, who mentioned the project in his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Schreier emphasized Blizzard's persistent interest in StarCraft shooters, despite past challenges.

Blizzard has a history of trying to expand the StarCraft franchise beyond its real-time strategy roots with shooters. 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 attempt, codenamed Ares and described as "like Battlefield in the StarCraft universe," was canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, Blizzard was seen hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," suggesting another StarCraft FPS is in the works.

Blizzard is also showing renewed interest in the franchise by releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. These moves indicate that StarCraft is far from dead at Blizzard, and fans can look forward to potential new developments in the beloved universe.