New StarCraft Game Pitches from Korean Developers to Blizzard

Blizzard Entertainment is reportedly receiving pitches for new StarCraft video games from several Korean studios, sparking excitement among fans of the iconic sci-fi franchise. According to an article highlighted by the X / Twitter account @KoreaXboxnews, Asia Today revealed that four prominent Korean companies—NCSoft, Nexon, Netmarble, and Krafton—are vying to develop new games based on the StarCraft IP and secure publishing rights. Some of these companies have even traveled to Blizzard’s headquarters in Irvine, California, to present their pitches.

NCSoft, known for the Lineage and Guild Wars MMOs, is reportedly pitching a StarCraft RPG, possibly an MMORPG. Nexon, the developer behind The First Descendant, has proposed a “unique” take on the StarCraft IP. Netmarble, which has worked on titles like Solo Leveling: Arise and Game of Thrones: Kingsroad, is aiming to create a StarCraft mobile game. Meanwhile, Krafton, the company behind the battle royale sensation PUBG and the upcoming inZOI, wants to leverage its development capabilities for a new StarCraft game.

While pitches between video game companies are common, the reported interest from Blizzard in expanding the StarCraft universe is significant, especially given the time that has passed since the last game in the franchise. Activision Blizzard declined to comment when approached by IGN.

In related news, Blizzard is reportedly making another attempt at developing a StarCraft shooter, with former Far Cry executive producer Dan Hay leading the project. This information surfaced in September and was discussed by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier on IGN’s Podcast Unlocked. Schreier mentioned Hay’s project in his book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, noting that while Blizzard has a troubled history with StarCraft shooters, the project remains in development.

Blizzard’s past attempts to expand StarCraft beyond its real-time strategy roots include StarCraft Ghost, announced in 2002 but canceled in 2006, and a second project codenamed Ares, which was canceled in 2019 to focus on Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. More recently, Blizzard was seen hiring for an “upcoming open-world shooter game,” which is believed to be a StarCraft FPS.

The interest in StarCraft is growing, with Blizzard recently releasing StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection on Game Pass, and announcing a StarCraft crossover with the Warcraft card game Hearthstone.