Blizzard opens door for StarCraft revival though next game may not be an RTS

A new StarCraft game is certainly in the realm of possibility, according to Blizzard President Mike Ybarra. Though there’s no guarantee the next installment will stick to the beloved Real-time Strategy (RTS) formula.

It’s been 13 years since StarCraft 2 hit store shelves. While a number of expansions followed shortly after, it’s been years of silence in the community after updates were officially halted back in 2020.

The franchise has largely remained dormant since, with just its most avid hardcore player base and esports competitors keeping the scene alive to a degree. But it now appears a revival of the iconic Blizzard brand could soon be in the cards.

After going amiss at BlizzCon 2023, much to the chagrin of the remaining community, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra addressed the status of StarCraft in a follow-up interview with Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. And while nothing is yet set in stone, the studio is certainly open to restoring the IP.

Moving forward on the heels of the historic Microsoft acquisition, Blizzard’s priorities are still largely unchanged, according to Ybarra. The biggest dev teams will remain working on their biggest titles like Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Diablo. But under the new regime, they’re also open to exploring “less mainstream projects,” as Schreier put it.

One such project could be exploring the future of the StarCraft series. Though with dozens of original devs now gone, Ybarra isn’t set on forcing newer team members into the RTS genre.

“It’s not me saying, ‘Go make a StarCraft game. I need to have someone who has the vision and passion that comes with the idea, and I’ll bet on that team.”

Seemingly, just about anything is possible with the iconic IP, rather than the next entry being another standard fair. We could see anything from a revamped FPS spinoff like the scrapped StarCraft Ghost, to another mobile game in the direction of the recent Warcraft Rumble. It’s anyone’s guess for the time being.

So for now, we’ll just have to continue holding our breath. Though for avid StarCraft fans, the news of any new project in development is sure to be welcome.