Blizzard is reportedly receiving numerous pitches from Korean studios interested in developing new StarCraft video games. According to an article highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, Asia Today mentioned four Korean companies vying for the opportunity to expand the StarCraft franchise and secure publishing rights: NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton. Representatives from these companies have reportedly visited Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their proposals.
NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is proposing a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, creators of The First Descendant, has pitched a "unique" application of the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, behind games like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is looking to develop a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the studio behind PUBG and inZOI, aims to leverage its development capabilities to create a new StarCraft game.
While pitches between game companies are common, the involvement of these prominent Korean studios suggests Blizzard's keen interest in expanding the StarCraft universe. However, Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.
It's also noteworthy that 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 in September and was mentioned by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier in his book, "Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment." Schreier confirmed the project's development status at the time of writing but noted Blizzard's historically challenging relationship with StarCraft shooters.
Blizzard's past efforts to create a StarCraft shooter include the canceled StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002 and canceled in 2006, and Ares, a project akin to Battlefield in the StarCraft universe, which was canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, Blizzard advertised for positions related to an "upcoming open-world shooter game," hinting at another potential StarCraft FPS.
In addition to these developments, Blizzard has recently released StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass and announced a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone, indicating ongoing activity and interest in the franchise.
