One of the eye-catching bulletins on the BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony was the return of StarCraft, which had gone with out information of a brand new title for a very long time. Nevertheless, the newly unveiled StarCraft was not a real-time technique (RTS) sport like earlier entries within the collection. This time, as a substitute of commanding the battlefield from excessive above, the franchise shifted genres into an open-world shooter the place gamers soar straight onto the battlefield.
The video revealed on the opening ceremony additionally emphasised this shift. It depicted a younger recruit who believed he was totally educated and prepared for battle being deployed onto an actual battlefield, solely to face a swarming horde of Zerg filling his imaginative and prescient. Gamers will now straight expertise the battlefield as a person soldier, fairly than observing it from afar as in basic StarCraft.
Following the video reveal, an interview with the builders of the brand new StarCraft title was held for Korean media on the afternoon of the identical day at BlizzCon 2026. In attendance had been Dan Hay, StarCraft GM and Artistic Director on this mission; AnaLee Haertling, Affiliate Supervisor of Improvement Operations; and Paul Lee, Senior Producer.
On the opening ceremony, the brand new title was launched primarily via a video. May you elaborate on what sort of sport this new StarCraft at the moment in improvement truly is?
Dan Hay: That is a really huge query. If you happen to look intently on the revealed teaser, you possibly can see a younger recruit. He thinks he is aware of how the world works, believes he is totally educated and utterly ready for fight as he heads to the battlefield. However in actuality, that wasn’t the case, and as he straight encounters a large swarm of Zerg, he realizes he wasn’t actually prepared.
From this, you possibly can gauge the path of the sport we’re making. This time, as a substitute of inserting the participant up excessive to look down on the battlefield, we wish to drop them proper into the center of the battle on the bottom. We would like it to really feel like a really up-close and private expertise whereas delivering excessive stress. Our major objective is to create an expertise the place you’re feeling what it might truly be wish to be deployed into that scenario—the place each step you are taking and each alternative earlier than you feels consequential.
To be a bit extra particular: even inside open-world shooters, there are numerous types like looter shooters, seasonal video games, single-player, or multiplayer. Whereas issues may evolve throughout improvement, what’s the final imaginative and prescient the staff is concentrating on proper now?
Dan Hay: If I had been to explain the general construction we at the moment envision, it is a “field product.” It’s a narrative-driven open-world shooter the place gamers create a personality, identify them, and comply with that character’s story. The story has a starting, a center, and an finish.
You possibly can roam round and discover a wealthy open world, however our story has a definitive ending. Consider it as buying a standalone boxed sport, enjoying it, and experiencing its story. We hope gamers take pleasure in it, find it irresistible, and return to us later. On the very least, what we’re constructing proper now will not be a seasonal sport.
Given the main shift in style from RTS to open-world shooter, sustaining StarCraft’s id appears essential. What does the event staff contemplate to be the core id of StarCraft, and the way are you making an attempt to convey that to life on this new sport?
Dan Hay: Identification is extraordinarily vital. StarCraft has a really distinctive id, and it is a franchise that holds deep private which means for me. I like the gritty, tough edge distinctive to StarCraft, in addition to its area Western sensibility. It has that vibe of being on the frontier—distant, distant, and remoted.
The characters aren’t individuals who all the time simply do what they’re presupposed to do, both. In reality, they usually do issues they should not. There are numerous political strikes going down between hostile forces, with factions continually clashing. There’s an underlying stress that the entire world may tilt into disaster at any second. That is why I really feel it is important for StarCraft to keep up that darkish and gritty ambiance.
The troublesome half comes after that. As a result of we love StarCraft a lot, trying again on the unique works may make you suppose, “It is already excellent, so why contact it? Why not simply depart it as it’s?” However on the identical time, we wanted a possibility to create one thing new. That is why we set the timeline for this mission 70 years after the earlier story—to safe inventive freedom to a level.
Because of that, we will construct new tales, adventures, and characters. Factions that seemed a sure means prior to now may need shifted their views over 70 years, disagreed with one another, or fractured into splinters. These adjustments present ample room to forge new narratives. It is essential to inform a brand new story whereas preserving StarCraft’s signature darkish, gritty temper and area Western ambiance.
Does shifting the setting 70 years into the longer term imply that it was in the end a option to create a brand new story whereas respecting the established StarCraft universe?
Dan Hay: That is proper. If you happen to’re sure solely by the mindset of maintaining all the things precisely because it was, it is very arduous to create one thing new. Having 70 years of time permits us to discover how previous factions and relationships have developed. Teams that held a particular stance prior to now may now maintain totally different views, or they may have cut up and fractured.
For us, these transformations create room to generate new tales, adventures, characters, and relationships. In our actual world immediately, there are numerous conflicts and darkish realities, and in that sense, StarCraft feels grounded in actuality as soon as once more. We consider we will current a recent story to immediately’s gamers whereas preserving its core id.
Gamers who first loved StarCraft 1 at the moment are getting into their 40s, and a good portion of StarCraft II gamers are of their 30s. For veteran followers accustomed to RTS, a shooter is a very totally different style, and lots of might not have the quick mechanical controls or speedy reactions of youthful gamers. Why did you select an open-world shooter regardless of this? Moreover, what mechanisms have you ever ready to make sure present followers can benefit from the sport?
Dan Hay: I utterly perceive the intent behind your query. We all know how deeply vital StarCraft was to so many individuals. The sport we’re making should additionally respect what got here earlier than. I consider we should begin from StarCraft’s lore, legacy, and what the sport meant again then.
The shooter we’re constructing incorporates a deep story, principal missions, facet quests, and character development. Whereas it will likely be a gritty and difficult sport, we aren’t making an attempt to make it overly punishing. We wish to current a level of problem whereas letting gamers expertise an journey inside it. Specifically, if a sure mission feels too troublesome, you possibly can return to the open world and have interaction in different actions at your individual tempo.
It would sound a bit odd, however I evaluate it to a sizzling tub and a swimming pool. Each the recent tub and the pool are full of water and positioned only some meters aside, however no one does a cannonball dive right into a sizzling tub. In a swimming pool, however, that is utterly pure conduct. Although each are water, totally different guidelines and experiences exist. In our sport, we wish to present two distinct experiences in an identical means.
On one facet, there are critical missions and a strong narrative. You may keep in mind the second Kerrigan was deserted in StarCraft. When the digital camera pulled again on Kerrigan left on their own, you wished to scream on the display, “No, do not depart her behind!” In our missions, we wish to ship that depth of emotion as soon as once more.
Conversely, within the open world, gamers can progress at their very own velocity. If you happen to lack satisfactory gear, you possibly can head out into the world, scavenge for what you want, deck out your armor, and take a look at once more. I am not a high-reaction-speed participant myself, both. So I wish to construct a sport that I can completely take pleasure in. I like wandering round slowly, exploring, discovering new issues, and encountering sudden turns.
We wish to give gamers that actual selection. We selected a narrative-driven sport to offer gamers the time and area to expertise the world at their very own tempo. Tackling intense missions, after which, if wanted, stepping again out into the free open world to play your individual means—that’s the sport we’re making.
Paul Lee: Questions on transitioning from an RTS to a shooter have come up a number of occasions, however as Dan talked about, story is one among StarCraft’s core pillars, and it is a component we positively intend to keep up on this sport.
I’m additionally Korean-American and play many video games made in Korea. It is easy to imagine the Korean market is extra accustomed to live-service or free-to-play titles. Nevertheless, latest boxed titles developed by Korean studios—video games like Lies of P, Stellar Blade, Crimson Desert, and Dave the Diver—they every cowl totally different genres and goal totally different areas, but they possess compelling tales, gameplay, and narratives, receiving nice responses from each world and Korean gamers.
As somebody of Korean descent, I utterly perceive why questions come up about how StarCraft, initially an RTS, will transition right into a shooter. Nevertheless, I consider the core essence of StarCraft’s story, its conflicts, and its narrative are parts that may resonate throughout generations of gamers. We wish to treasure and protect that side on this sport as we present it to gamers all through improvement.
Within the trailer proven on the opening ceremony, the Protoss weren’t conspicuously seen. Was their presence deliberately hidden, or will the Protoss not seem on this story?
Dan Hay: We did not disguise them. The Protoss are there. Take one other take a look at the scene the place the soldier is deployed onto the battlefield, the door opens, and Mutalisks fly previous. If you happen to look intently on the background terrain and structure, there’s a construction that’s neither Terran nor Zerg. It is a Protoss construction. The display was very vibrant and the shot handed by rapidly, so it may need been arduous to identify, however it’s positively there.
The Protoss are definitively one of many factions featured on this sport. What’s vital to us is sustaining the core essence of the Zerg, Protoss, and Terran, and capturing the asymmetrical dynamic that emerges once they conflict with each other.
In fact, we do not wish to reveal all the things proper from the beginning. If we present all the things without delay, we cannot have something left to speak about down the street. Even on this teaser, we spent a really very long time reviewing each Mutalisk, Overlord, and Zergling showing in that area, and the identical went for the Protoss construction. If you happen to rewatch the video, you can spot these delicate hints.
StarCraft options distinct cultures and teams that do not agree with each other. They battle over sources and conflict over ideologies or beliefs. It displays dynamics we see in the actual world immediately, and StarCraft has all the time explored these themes.
The Protoss are immensely highly effective and a drive we respect, however they’re deeply sure by their traditions and don’t act frivolously. The Zerg can’t be reasoned with or persuaded to hitch our facet; they suppose in a wholly totally different means. The Terrans roam area considerably chaotically, taking no matter they’ll seize. We love this asymmetry among the many three races and are exploring the way it can evolve on this sport. The trace within the trailer is tiny, however the Protoss are positively there.
StarCraft is a monumental title within the historical past of RTS and esports, and its affect stays important in Korea immediately. Does creating this new sport as an open-world shooter imply StarCraft as an RTS stops right here? Is there a risk of constructing an RTS once more sooner or later?
Dan Hay: That is a really huge and vital query. First off, the start line for creating this title as an open-world sport was the story. There was a story we wished to inform, and improvement started from determining the way to notice that imaginative and prescient.
Nevertheless, I’ve to be extraordinarily cautious when answering what we would do sooner or later. At present, we’re right here to speak about this particular sport, to not announce one thing else we would make down the street.
We totally perceive that StarCraft started as an RTS and occupies a vastly vital and highly effective place not solely in its lore and universe, but in addition within the evolution of esports. Blizzard has additionally served as a significant companion in that area. Proper now, our focus is solely on crafting an excellent story and compelling characters for this mission.
In fact, we take into consideration the longer term too. I am all the time pondering the place we will go subsequent and what we will do sooner or later. However I wish to keep away from a scenario the place I say one thing right here and headlines come out studying “Blizzard Growing One other StarCraft Recreation Past This Title.” I understand how vital this query is, however I can not converse past that immediately.
Previous to the official reveal, a number of ARG occasions befell on the official web site. What made you put together this model of selling that inspired gamers to find and decipher clues on their very own?
Dan Hay: One of many issues I like in regards to the StarCraft model is that it feels very grounded and plausible. The occasions going down on this universe really feel like they may truly occur in our personal world. Although it is sci-fi, it generally feels as if it is rooted in actual science. It has an industrial, highly effective, and heavy weight to it.
So when the chance got here to tease the sport for the primary time, we thought lengthy and arduous about the way to do it. Somewhat than merely exhibiting data, we wished to create an expertise akin to an old-school radio drama, the place one thing arrives if you least count on it. On the web site, we envisioned the sensation of somebody instantly knocking in your door with none clarification. Personally, I like hiding issues quietly and letting folks uncover them on their very own.
An open-world sport, in spite of everything, is a sport about discovery. You need not clarify all the things. Gamers are good sufficient that you do not have to script each second or spell out each element from A to Z. You simply must construct a wonderful but harmful world and provides them the chance to discover and uncover new issues inside it.
Personally, I additionally love moments when one thing acquainted instantly behaves in an sudden means. When a query pops up—”Wait, why is that this taking place? What is going on on right here?”—you naturally wish to work out what it’s by yourself. A sport begins proper at that second.
We wished to create that actual expertise on the web site as effectively. Individuals who observed one thing uncommon would marvel, “What is that this?” and begin asking questions and beginning conversations with others. It intently mirrors the expertise of stepping out into an open world, discovering one thing, and determining options by yourself. That was our intention, and I believe it got here collectively fairly effectively.
AnaLee Haertling: I might like so as to add one factor. The event staff can also be tremendously keen about this mission and StarCraft, and we had been extremely excited simply to have the ability to unveil it to the neighborhood, the gamers, and the world.
The web site was one other option to construct up that anticipation. We’re simply as enthusiastic about StarCraft and this mission because the neighborhood and gamers are. One of many causes we ready the web site was that we wished to share our ardour with the neighborhood and foster an atmosphere the place everybody may get excited collectively.
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