Summary
Since the release ofStarCraft 2, fans of the franchise have been clamoring for Blizzard to make a third entry. The massive sci-fi universe that the studio has created has been fun to explore, the gameplay has been thrilling, and it felt like there was no stopping this juggernaut. However, there have been no newStarCraftexperiences since 2016, besides a remaster in 2017. While fans may be yearning for more content, Blizzard seems to have no reason to explore the franchise further.
There are a lot of elements stacked up againsta potentialStarCraft 3. For starters, the RTS genre does not seem to be the behemoth it once was. Additionally, Blizzard has been making so much more money through other titles that it has no reason to devote resources to the franchise. On top of all of that, the studio’s approach to gaming has changed drastically since that original game, so a hypothetical third entry may not even be what fans wanted in the first place.
StarCraft 3 Has Been Long Overdue
The StarCraft Series is Still One of the Best RTS Franchises
After all of these years,StarCraftis still considered by many to be some ofthe best RTS series on the market. No one really knew what to expect from that first game when it hit store shelves in 1998. While Blizzard had shown that it knew how to make an exciting RTS throughWarcraft, this was the first time the studio was going to take its formula to the sci-fi genre. It seemed like a risky endeavor, and it paid off immensely. Not only did it raise the bar for RTS games, but it is still considered by some to be one of the greatest games ever made.
It seemed like Blizzard had a massive new franchise on its hands, so it got to work expanding it with DLC and a Nintendo 64 port. And after 12 years, it finally released the hotly anticipated sequel,StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty. Much like its predecessor, it was met with critical acclaim and would go on to be considered one of the greatest games ever made. It once again took the RTS genre to new heights, and its challenging gameplay loop made it a massive sensation on the eSports scene. But even with all of that, the studio has not really done anything with the IP since.
Blizzard Has No Need to Develop the Series Further
While Blizzard didrelease some DLCs forStarCraft 2and a remaster of the original game in 2017, there has been noStarCraft 3in sight. Fans yearn for a new experience at every Blizzcon, and every Blizzcon passes without even a mention of the popular franchise. It feels like the series has been shelved for the forseeable future, which is a shame. However, it really does not seem that surprising.
A couple of days ago,former Blizzard developer Jason Hallclaimed thatWorld of Warcraft’s first shop mount made more money than all ofStarCraft 2. If that is truly the case, then it would make sense why the studio would not want to commit to a full-on sequel. If a simple $15 store item can make more than a massive RTS title, then there is really no reason to spend resources on something bigger. Even though fans may want to see what happens next, from a studio perspective, sticking with microtransactions just seems to make more business sense as long as they remain profitable.
Along with that, the RTS genre has definitely faded in popularity a bit over the years. While there are still some popular ones on the market, the industry has mostly moved away from that in favor of more online experiences. That shift is likely why Blizzard’s president said that the next entry may not come in the form of an RTS, though with Microsoft’s success in that market thanks toAge of Empires, that may not be the case after all. Fans will just have to wait and see what happens.
StarCraft 2
WHERE TO PLAY
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