StarCraft Returns as an Open-World Shooter in 2030

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Blizzard Entertainment is bringing back its flagship sci-fi universe in a new genre, confirming at BlizzCon 2026 that a story-driven, open-world *StarCraft* shooter is in development and scheduled to launch in spring 2030.

The title is simply named *StarCraft*, and Blizzard debuted its cinematic trailer during the event. The return comes nearly a decade after 2017’s *StarCraft: Remastered* and 16 years after *StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty* was released in 2010.

“From the farthest reaches of the stars, a new mission calls,” Blizzard stated in its announcement materials, formally describing the project as a “story-driven open-world shooter.” During the presentation, the company also used the phrase “it’s about damn time,” directly recalling the line spoken by Tychus Findlay in the initial 2007 reveal trailer for *StarCraft II*.

Blizzard’s move into the action-shooter genre follows earlier attempts that ended in cancellation. The studio began that transition in 2002 with *StarCraft: Ghost*, a tactical third-person action game focused on stealth operative Nova Terra. Developed first with Nihilistic Software and later with Swingin’ Ape Studios, *Ghost* faced repeated delays before being placed on indefinite hold in March 2006.

The original *StarCraft*, designed by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, arrived in March 1998. Its *Brood War* expansion followed in November 1998, while the franchise became a cornerstone of competitive strategy gaming.

A later effort, internally known as *Project Ares*, used the engine behind Blizzard’s hero shooter *Overwatch*. Blizzard canceled the project in 2019 while shifting engineering resources to *Diablo IV* and *Overwatch 2*.

Blizzard expanded the series’ narrative through the *StarCraft II* trilogy. *Wings of Liberty* began that trilogy in July 2010, followed by *Heart of the Swarm* in 2013 and *Legacy of the Void* in 2015.

Reports of a third attempt surfaced in 2024. Former *Far Cry* director Dan Hay, who joined Blizzard in 2022, was said to be leading a team working on an unannounced project set within the *StarCraft* universe.

The spring 2030 target window comes under Microsoft’s stewardship after the company completed its $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in October 2023. Xbox leadership has repeatedly expressed interest in using dormant intellectual property across Blizzard’s software library.