Reports indicate that Blizzard is giving another shot at developing a StarCraft shooter, with renowned industry veteran Dan Hay, formerly of Far Cry, at the creative reins.
According to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, an excerpt from his forthcoming book “Play It Forward” details the rise, fall, and future of Blizzard Entertainment, as discussed during a recent appearance on the IGN Unlocked podcast.
Following Ryan McCaffrey’s introduction of the passage on IGN, and acknowledging that such a project being in the works would be Blizzard’s third attempt at creating this type of game, he asked Schreier whether it was something the public might have the opportunity to play at some point in the future.
“If nothing else changes,” Schreier responded, “that’s still very much Blizzard.” Their track record with StarCraft shooters leaves much to be desired. As a professional editor, here is the revised text:
The current state of this mission remains under development and refinement, although my understanding suggests it is indeed being improved, at least up until the point when I created this guide. Blizzard’s work on a StarCraft shooter raises questions about the relevance of their flagship franchise.
He further elaborated, stating: “The primary objective of this guide is not to gather speculative information about impending challenges.” This wasn’t the original aim of the guide; instead, its purpose was to convey a narrative and address matters that had transpired. However, this intriguing tidbit felt like a compelling and valuable addition, as it simply shows that Blizzard can’t resist StarCraft shooters – they just can’t bring themselves to bid them adieu.
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That final bit, infused with cultural references to Brokeback Mountain’s poignant line about “the lies that bind” and nods to NBA stars Chris Paul and Amar’e Stoudemire, added a layer of complexity to the narrative.
Blizzard has reportedly considered developing a StarCraft shooter on at least two prior occasions, with both previous attempts ultimately being scrapped. In 2002, Blizzard’s StarCraft: Ghost marked a significant improvement, preceding its eventual cancellation in 2006, a decision co-founder Mike Morhaime later regretted. This was followed by an unnamed project, codenamed Undertaking Ares, which stalled in 2019 to make way for Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 developments.
Will a costly and ambitious project in development finally overcome its troubled past to deliver a satisfying experience? Solely time will inform.
I’m thrilled to witness StarCraft’s evolution into a game where I can engage with its rich storyline and take a closer look at the information that StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft II Marketing Campaign Collection are finally coming to PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tiers – after missing out yesterday.
