Blizzard seems to be going all in on theDiablofranchise in the last couple of years. After 2012’sDiablo 3, it seemed like it would take forever for a new mainlineDiablogame to hit store shelves. All fans really had were DLC packs, but that has drastically changed since 2021. Now,three majorDiabloreleases have hit store shelves, and there seems to be no end in sight for exciting ARPG content. This has made it a fantastic time to be a fan of the franchise, and hopefully theStarCraftseries can get the same treatment.
TheStarCraftfranchise is one of Blizzard’s major IPs, but the studio has done barely anything with it since 2017’sStarCraft Remastered. It still has a prominent spot on Battle.net and appears throughout Blizzcon, but there has been no news on a new project. While that may all change at Blizzcon 2023, it could also just be another year of disappointment. For some reason, Blizzard has not tapped this iconic sci-fi series, and it is time that it finally delivered something.
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StarCraft Deserves More Attention
The firstStarCraftwas Blizzard’s fourth major title afterWarcraft: Orcs & Humans,Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness,and the firstDiablo. It was an instant hit for the studio as it was met with critical acclaim and was often heralded as one of the best RTS games ever made. The story was engaging, the gameplay was challenging, and everything about it worked. It helped to further cement Blizzard’s popularity, and it seemed like the franchise was unstoppable.
Not only did Blizzard release an expansion pack for the original game titledStarCraft: Brood War, but it also helped develop two other add-ons that furtherexpandedStarCraftin exciting new ways. All these titles would then be brought to the Nintendo 64 with the aptly titledStarCraft 64. While it seemed like the studio would continue exploring this new sci-fi universe for the foreseeable future, it ended up putting more of a focus on its other franchises instead.
It would take 12 years from the original games release for the sequel to hit store shelves.StarCraft 2: Wings of Libertybuilt upon the strong foundations of its predecessor, and once again was heralded as one of the best RTS games out there. It quickly became the fastest-selling RTS at the time, but for some reason Blizzard mostly left it untouched for years. It would take three years for the game’s first expansion to release and an additional two for the second. A smaller DLC pack would release in 2016, and Blizzard would officially move on a couple of years later.
BesidesStarCraft 2’s massive eSports scene and the release ofStarCraft: Remasteredin 2017, Blizzard has done nothing with the IP. It seems to just be sitting there collecting dust, and every Blizzcon goes by without any substantial news. After the success of the first two titles, it seems like an easy win to make a third one, but so far the studio has shown little interest in doing that. While there have been various projects in development, they were all unceremoniously canceled.The RTS genrein general seems to be mostly untouched by AAA studios, and that needs to change.
IfDiablocan get three major titlesin the span of three years, then there is no reasonStarCraftcannot get the same treatment.StarCraft 3is the obvious first choice, and multiple spin-offs should follow its release. Blizzard can still do so much with the franchise, and now seems like a wonderful time to do it. The studio is currently trying to win back its scorned fan base and shake off controversy, and one of the best ways to do that would be by tapping into this iconic RTS series once again.
