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

Blizzard is reportedly considering several pitches for new StarCraft video games from prominent Korean studios. According to Asia Today, four companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are competing to develop new titles based on the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights. Representatives from some of these studios have even traveled to Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their proposals.

NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is reportedly pitching a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, the developer behind The First Descendant, has proposed a "unique" take on the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, with hits like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to create a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, which developed PUBG and inZOI, wants to leverage its development expertise to create a new StarCraft game.

While pitches between video game companies are common, StarCraft fans are eagerly watching Blizzard's moves, especially since the last game in the franchise was released some time ago. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.

It's also noteworthy that Blizzard has been working on a third StarCraft shooter, led by former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022. This project, mentioned in Jason Schreier's book "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment," aims to expand the StarCraft universe. However, Schreier noted during an interview on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked that Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters has been fraught with challenges.

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

The StarCraft franchise is seeing increased activity, with Blizzard releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.