Key Takeaways
- Recent ESRB rating hints at new StarCraft game, potentially a shooter, sparking excitement among fans.
- Blizzard’s past attempts at StarCraft spin-offs like StarCraft: Ghost and Ares have been met with cancellations.
- The success of similar games indicates a promising market for a new StarCraft shooter, fueling hopes for an official announcement.
Blizzard Entertainment might have unintentionally confirmed the rumors suggesting that an unannounced new StarCraft game is currently under development. A recent ESRB rating for an unknown StarCraft title could indicate a potential reboot of Blizzard’s early science fiction franchise.
Recent rumors that Blizzard is working on a new StarCraft game have excited fans of the classic RTS series. Aside from some DLC expansions, the franchise has lain dormant since 2010’s StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty, as Blizzard has focused on IPs including Diablo and World of Warcraft. Many gamers have long thought the series abandoned, as Blizzard supposedly earned more money from one World of Warcarft microtransaction than from the entirety of StarCraft 2. Free of lucrative microtransactions, StarCraft 2 certainly seems out of place in today’s gaming environment.
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However, Blizzard may have accidentally confirmed an upcoming StarCraft project. A new ESRB rating has just appeared under the title “Starcraft.” The mysterious listing has been given a “Teen” rating for “animated blood and gore” and “strong language” but it seems that all additional information has been removed since the rating’s initial publication. Coupled with the recent news that Blizzard is hiring developers for an unannounced open-world shooter, this ESRB filing may give some credence to the rumors that the developer is working on a new StarCraft shooter.
New ESRB Rating for Unannounced StarCraft Game Potentially Confirms Rumors of Franchise Reboot
Many StarCraft fans could be dismayed that the first new entry in over a decade might not follow the traditional real-time strategy formula. After all, StarCraft’s competitive multiplayer scene helped to catapult esports into the mainstream global phenomenon it is today. However, this would not be Blizzard’s first attempt at reimaging StarCraft. Announced in 2002, StarCraft: Ghost was a hugely anticipated stealth shooter before multiple delays led Blizzard to shelve the project in 2006. A second attempt, codenamed StarCraft: Ares began development in 2017, only to be canceled in 2019.
If Blizzard is once more trying its hand at a StarCraft shooter, now could be the perfect time. The huge success of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has shown that epic third-person shooters are still very much in demand. Both StarCraft: Remastered and StarCraft 2 were also added to Game Pass this November, and a StarCraft-themed Hearthstone crossover event was announced at the Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct showcase. Given this increased focus on the StarCraft franchise, some fans are hoping that an official announcement of the rumored game could be just around the corner.
StarCraft
StarCraft was crafted by James Phinney and Chris Metzen. The original release was published by Blizzard Entertainment and the IP has been in control of the company ever since. The real-time strategy release sees players taking control of different races like the Terran, Zerg, Protoss, and more, as they battle against one another for galactic dominance.