The next StarCraft may not be made by Blizzard, according to a new report
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Nexon is reportedly close to finalising a deal with Blizzard that would let the South Korean publisher, rather than Blizzard itself, develop a new game in the StarCraft franchise, according to Korean newspaper Chosun. The report matters because StarCraft and StarCraft 2 remain hugely popular in South Korea's PC bangs and are widely credited with helping to establish esports as a competitive industry, making a Korean-developed sequel a natural fit for the market.
The report cites an unnamed "senior game industry official" who said the contract is "on the verge of being finalised", though machine translation leaves it unclear whether the resulting game would be a StarCraft 3-style RTS sequel or something else entirely. Adding to the uncertainty, earlier reports suggested Blizzard and Nexon are separately collaborating on a StarCraft shooter, while Blizzard is said to have its own StarCraft shooter in development led by former Far Cry boss Dan Hay. No further details or confirmation had emerged beyond these competing reports, with attention turning to BlizzCon, held on 12th-13th September, as the likely venue for any official StarCraft announcement.
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In short
- Nexon reportedly near a deal to develop a StarCraft sequel, per Chosun report
- Unclear if it's an RTS or shooter, or which studio leads it
- BlizzCon (12-13 September) expected to bring clarity
How this story developed
- 2 months ago Nexon is reportedly close to finalising a deal with Blizzard that would let the South Korean publisher, rather than Blizzard itself, develop a new game in the StarCraft franchise, according to Korean newspaper Chosun.
- 2 months ago A report from Korean newspaper Chosun suggests that Nexon, the South Korean games giant, is close to finalising a deal with Blizzard that would let it develop a sequel in the StarCraft franchise, rather than Blizzard producing it in-house.
- 2 months ago Nexon is reportedly close to finalising a deal with Blizzard that would let the South Korean publisher, rather than Blizzard itself, develop a new game in the StarCraft franchise, according to Korean newspaper Chosun.
Explained simply
Nexon, the South Korean games publisher, is reportedly nearing a deal with Blizzard, the American studio behind the StarCraft series, that could see Nexon take the lead on developing a new StarCraft game rather than Blizzard doing it in-house. StarCraft, released in 1998, and its sequel StarCraft 2 are strategy games in which players build bases and armies to battle opponents; they became enormously popular in South Korea, where they helped turn competitive gaming into a mainstream esport.
The claim comes from the Korean newspaper Chosun, which cites an unnamed games industry source, so it has not been officially confirmed by either company. It is also unclear exactly what kind of game is being discussed, since Blizzard and Nexon are separately reported to be working together on a StarCraft shooter, while Blizzard is said to have another StarCraft shooter of its own in the works.
Any clarification may come at BlizzCon, Blizzard's annual fan convention, which is due to take place on 12th and 13th September and where some kind of StarCraft announcement is expected.
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