Arc Raiders publisher Nexon is reportedly working to secure a licensing deal with Blizzard to develop a new StarCraft game, a project that is entirely separate from an open-world shooter currently in development by a Blizzard team.
Nearly 30 years after the original sci-fi strategy classic debuted in 1998, the dormant franchise is the subject of fresh development reports. While Blizzard has previously released StarCraft II in 2010 and StarCraft: Remastered in 2017, the series has largely remained quiet for years. However, new reporting indicates that a multi-pronged revival is underway involving both the original IP holder and an external major publisher.
Nexon Pursues Licensing Rights and Franchise Expansion
A report in South Korean newspaper Chosun (via Wccftech) featured a quote from a senior gaming official
suggesting that a contract between Nexon and Blizzard regarding the StarCraft IP is close to being finalized. It’s been almost 30 years since the original StarCraft was released in 1998, and although StarCraft II and StarCraft: Remastered came out in 2010 and 2017 respectively, gamers of a certain age probably feel like it’s been a small eternity since Blizzard’s really done anything meaningful with one of its most celebrated franchises.
The motivation behind the partnership is clear when looking at regional popularity metrics. Although nearly 30 years have passed since its release, StarCraft still ranks in the top 10 most-played games in Korean PC internet cafes, a stat Nexon likely wants to capitalize on by working with Blizzard to develop a new game. According to a machine translation of a report from Korean outlet dnews, development of a new game building on the StarCraft IP has begun at Nexon, with the outlet citing insider sources as it suggests Nexon is currently recruiting key developers for the project.
Studio Development and Leadership Under Choi Jun-ho
Development on the Nexon-backed project is slated for the company’s free-to-play shooter studio behind Sudden Attack, a free-to-play FPS series. To lead the new title, Nexon has reportedly hired a veteran StarCraft modder, already having its lead in the form of Choi Jun-ho. Jun-ho is described as the modder behind a popular StarCraft map known as “Shinpu”.
While the studio’s background rests in multiplayer shooters, specific genre details for this new entry remain unclear as it’s unclear what genre this game would take on. Industry observers note that despite the project lead’s roots, neither this new Nexon project nor Blizzard’s internal efforts are expected to follow the traditional real-time strategy format, with the dnews report speculating on a potential connection that is seemingly not the case.
Separation From Blizzard’s Internal Shooter Project
The reports out of South Korea initially sparked speculation regarding a potential connection to Blizzard’s own long-rumored StarCraft spin-off. However, industry reporting has clarified that the two initiatives are completely independent, and it seems this project is entirely separate from the long-rumored StarCraft shooter said to be in the works at Blizzard.
Addressing the rumors, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier stated in a ResetEra post, No idea if this is true,
adding that but if so it is unrelated to the StarCraft shooter that’s in development at Blizzard by a Blizzard team.
Schreier is the one who first reported on the StarCraft shooter’s development back in 2024. This game is reportedly coming together under the leadership of Blizzard VP and GM Dan Hay, who previously served as franchise lead on the Far Cry series. The project is said to be an open-world shooter and while it doesn’t sound close to coming out, we might still get a glimpse of it at BlizzCon 2026 later this month, and Kotaku has reached out to Blizzard for comment.
Technology Integration and Future Timeline
As development details emerge, questions surrounding modern production methods have also surfaced. This news comes with a big ‘ole asterisk for gamers concerned about the usage of genAI in development. Nexon’s CEO Junghun Lee was the guy who said not that long ago that you should assume every game company is using it and claimed the tech has improved efficiency in both game production and live service operations.
Perhaps Blizzard, in this potential licensing deal, might include some stipulations against genAI usage in order to head-off any potential controversy.
Meanwhile, fans looking at Blizzard’s teasing a whole lot of news on its biggest franchises this year will note that StarCraft has been notably absent from the announced festivities. But if there’s not just one but two new StarCraft games in development, maybe RTS fans have reason to hope again – even if it seems likely neither of these games will be an RTS title.
