According to a recent report, Microsoft and Activision have assembled a smaller team within Blizzard to develop new games, which will include popular titles such as StarCraft, Overwatch, and Warcraft.
Those who love Overwatch, Warcraft, and StarCraft and have been eagerly anticipating new additions to each series may have their wish granted at last.
According to a recent report by Windows Central, a new team has been formed within Blizzard, made up of employees from Microsoft’s King subsidiary. The team’s goal is to create ‘AA’ games using existing IPs from Blizzard.
King is renowned for its development of mobile games like Candy Crush, indicating that these smaller titles may also be intended for phone use. However, it remains uncertain if they will only be playable on mobile devices. For example, while Diablo Immortal was initially created for mobile, it ultimately became a game that could be played across multiple platforms.
Despite its history, Blizzard has only produced a limited number of games in its popular franchises compared to other companies.
Could StarCraft be making a return?
Despite its 1998 debut, the space-themed RTS StarCraft has only had one sequel. The development of a third-person FPS, ‘StarCraft Ghost’, was cancelled, leaving the series dormant aside from expansions for StarCraft 2.
Before its transformation into the MMORPG ‘World of Warcraft’, the Warcraft series had three games released as another RTS.
Meanwhile, Overwatch’s campaign mode has been entirely canceled in order to prioritize the multiplayer experience, leaving the status of its story content in uncertainty.
While Microsoft was in the process of acquiring Activision-Blizzard, Phil Spencer, the company’s Head of Gaming, stated his wish to bring Starcraft to the Xbox platform.
Blizzard might be cooking up an Overwatch game on mobile.
During a 2022 interview with Wired, Phil discussed the legacy of RTS games, specifically from Blizzard, including StarCraft and WarCraft. He explained that he currently has no concrete plans due to not being able to work closely with the teams.
“Wouldn’t you agree that StarCraft was a defining moment in gaming? It revolutionized esports, brought real-time strategy to consoles, and raised the bar for storytelling in the genre.”
In 2023, Spencer responded to a tweet from Twitch streamer Lirik, who asserted that the series offers numerous ways to deviate from the traditional RTS format.
Spencer concurred, stating that the series has immense potential and remains one of the top IPs in the market.
Although the exact project of this new team has not been announced yet, based on previous statements from Microsoft’s boss, it is likely that we will eventually see something new from the StarCraft universe.
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