Blizzard is working on a new game and is actively looking for people with “shooter experience.” Is a StarCraft action game finally coming?
That Blizzard is working on several games simultaneously is old news. For years, the company has planned to release more mobile games, and especially multiple titles for the Warcraft franchise are in the works. But is there still something new for PC and console players? Obviously yes. Blizzard is looking for new people – and everything points to a shooter.
What was said? On Twitter, Dan John Cox from Blizzard posted a brief message. Dan John Cox is a Senior Artist at Blizzard and explained in the tweet that they are looking for a lot of new people. More specifically, the tweet states:
My team is looking for MANY people for a REALLY REALLY cool, yet-to-be-announced project. […]
This is, without exaggeration, the best project and best team I’ve ever worked with in my career so far. […]
Is Blizzard building its own Destiny? That would at least be possible. Since Destiny is no longer part of the Battle.net app, Activision Blizzard actually lacks a game in a similar genre.
While Blizzard does have Overwatch as a shooter, it features fundamentally different gameplay compared to what Destiny offers. Here, the collection of items is absent, and especially the PvE content is missing. Blizzard hasn’t offered a “loot shooter” so far, even though it’s a lucrative genre. Games like Destiny or Borderlands have shown that this can attract and retain many players over the long term. An opportunity that Activision Blizzard probably does not want to miss.
What indicates a shooter? If you take a closer look at the job listings, there are several clues. For instance, Blizzard is looking for employees for many positions who already have “FPS experience” or have previously worked on “action games.” The term “multiplayer” also appears repeatedly in the descriptions. It is practically ruled out that it is a pure single-player title, even though they are looking for “both online and offline experience” in development.
This suggests that there will be a solo campaign, but also multiplayer aspects. Just as one would expect from many loot shooters.
In which universe does the new game take place? Again, nothing is known yet. However, it would be plausible for Blizzard to set an action game in the StarCraft universe. Among the major Blizzard universes, this one is the most suitable for a shooter. Warcraft only has relatively simple firearms, as does Diablo. Overwatch already exists as a shooter. In contrast, StarCraft takes place in a futuristic sci-fi world with numerous weapons that would be suitable for a shooter.
Moreover, Blizzard had previously attempted to create a StarCraft shooter a long time ago. StarCraft: Ghost was indeed canceled just before release, but it at least shows that Blizzard was willing to pursue this path.
Is this just Overwatch 2? That’s unlikely. Overwatch 2 has been in development for a long time and is quite far along. Additionally, Overwatch 2 is not an “unannounced project.” Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the team is working on a completely different game that will likely have little to do with Overwatch.
When will there be more info? Here, too, one can only speculate. Typically, Blizzard takes a lot of time with its games. Since many employees are currently being sought, the project is likely still in a very early state. No one should expect an announcement before the year 2023 – if at all.
What kind of game from Blizzard would you be interested in? Would you like to see a loot shooter in the StarCraft universe? Or what are your hopes?
