Blizzard Reportedly Receiving New StarCraft Game Pitches From Well-Known Korean Developers

Exciting news for fans of the iconic StarCraft franchise: Blizzard is reportedly considering a range of new game pitches from several leading Korean studios. According to a report from Asia Today, highlighted by @KoreaXboxnews on X / Twitter, four prominent companies are vying for the opportunity to develop and secure publishing rights for new StarCraft titles. These companies include NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton, each bringing unique ideas to the table.

NCSoft, known for its successful MMOs like Lineage and Guild Wars, is proposing a StarCraft RPG, potentially expanding the universe into an MMORPG format. Nexon, the developer behind The First Descendant, is pitching a "unique" take on the StarCraft IP, hinting at an innovative approach to the series. Netmarble, with titles such as Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad under its belt, is aiming to create a mobile game within the StarCraft universe. Lastly, Krafton, famous for PUBG and inZOI, is looking to leverage its development capabilities to craft a StarCraft game that stands out.

Representatives from some of these studios have reportedly traveled to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their pitches. While it's common for game companies to pitch ideas to secure development and publishing rights, there's no guarantee that these proposals will come to fruition. Nonetheless, this news is particularly exciting for StarCraft enthusiasts, as it has been a significant amount of time since the last entry in the series. Activision Blizzard declined to comment on these developments when approached by IGN.

In addition to these pitches, Blizzard has been making other moves to expand the StarCraft universe. In September, it was revealed that Blizzard is making its third attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. This project was mentioned in Jason Schreier's book, "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment," during his discussion on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked. Schreier noted that while the project is in development, there's always the risk of cancellation, given Blizzard's rocky history with StarCraft shooters.

Blizzard's previous attempts at StarCraft shooters include the infamous StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002 and canceled in 2006, and a project codenamed Ares, canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, in November, Blizzard was seen hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," which many believe could be a StarCraft FPS.

The StarCraft franchise is showing signs of revival. Blizzard has released StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announced a crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. These developments indicate that Blizzard is far from finished with the beloved sci-fi universe.