Blizzard is reportedly receiving a number of pitches for new StarCraft video games from Korean studios. According to an article highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, Asia Today listed four prominent Korean companies vying to develop new games based on the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Representatives from these companies have reportedly traveled to Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their proposals.
NCSoft, renowned for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, has pitched a StarCraft RPG, potentially an MMORPG. Nexon, the creator of The First Descendant, is proposing a "unique" use of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, known for titles like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to develop a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the company behind PUBG and the upcoming The Sims competitor inZOI, is interested in creating a StarCraft game leveraging its own development strengths.
While pitches between video game companies are common in the industry, the interest from Blizzard in expanding the StarCraft universe is noteworthy, especially given the time since the last franchise entry. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.
In related news, 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 noted that the project's future is uncertain, given Blizzard's history with StarCraft shooters.
Blizzard has had two previous unsuccessful attempts at StarCraft shooters: 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, Blizzard was seen hiring for an "upcoming open-world shooter game," with indications suggesting it could be a StarCraft FPS.
StarCraft's momentum is building, as evidenced by the recent releases of StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and a crossover announcement with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.
