New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard

Blizzard is reportedly exploring new avenues for its beloved StarCraft franchise, as several Korean studios have pitched innovative game concepts to expand the iconic sci-fi universe. According to Asia Today, as highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, four prominent Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying for the opportunity to develop new StarCraft titles and secure publishing rights. Representatives from these companies have even traveled to Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their ideas.

NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, has proposed a StarCraft RPG, potentially an MMORPG. Nexon, creators of The First Descendant, has pitched a "unique" use of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, behind Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is interested in developing a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the company behind PUBG and inZOI, aims to create a StarCraft game leveraging its own development capabilities.

While these pitches are part of the regular business of securing publishing rights and development contracts, and may not lead to finalized projects, they signal Blizzard's interest in expanding the StarCraft universe. This news is particularly exciting for fans, given the time elapsed since the last game in the franchise was released. Activision Blizzard has declined to comment on these developments.

Additionally, Blizzard is reportedly making a third attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. This effort was mentioned by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier during IGN's Podcast Unlocked, discussing his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Schreier noted that while the project is in development, its future remains uncertain, given Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters.

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

The StarCraft franchise is seeing renewed attention, with Blizzard releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone. These developments suggest that Blizzard is committed to revitalizing and expanding the StarCraft universe.