A new report leak indicates that the StarCraft FPS is already under development and will be one of the biggest surprises at the BlizzCon event. First, the news was tweeted as an article link, which quickly generated a large wave of criticism and speculation in the gaming community. If true, this would signify a substantial shift in the strategy game franchise’s direction.
Wow! A StarCraft… shock that soon was a shooter? That’s a phrase more than Foundot thing, right? We all are trained to control the zerglings and protoss carriers with a bird’s-eye view, not like a cowboy with a gauss rifle in a first-person setting. But honestly, if you think about it… why not? The universe is just excellent for a war game. The Terran Dominion has the grizzly and beaten-up marines, the Protoss are the sleek and high-tech warriors, and the Zerg are the freaking swarm. Just picture a Zerg rush in a corridor; pure nightmare fuel, but great potential for gameplay.
The tweet only posted a link, and no more details which are very common with these types of leaks. It keeps people waiting and constantly looking for more information. The article to which it directs is probably doing most of the work, but even the mere mention is enough to heat up the discussion in the forums. BlizzCon has always been a stage for Blizzard’s astounding moments, even after… well, everything that happened during the last few years. A brand new game in a beloved but somewhat dormant series? Just the kind of hype they need.
What a scenario to imagine! What this new introduction would be? A hero shooter like Overwatch but in the Koprulu Sector? A tactical squad-based thing like… I don’t know, something more morose? Or just through the immersive FPS narrative with a narrative-driven campaign, breathing the life of a marine surviving a zerg infestation on Mar Sara? The possibilities are many and the sky is the limit for their choice. The background is there, deep-rooted, and established. They would not need to build a universe from scratch; they would just be putting players into it boots-first.
Community reaction, even without direct replies to the tweet, is easy to picture. It would be like a whole space turned upside down. Some gamers would be really happy that their most adored universe finally gets a modern and thrilling revival. Others would be in doubt thinking that Blizzard might spoil the dish or lessen the appeal of StarCraft. And then, there is the group who demands StarCraft 3, and they might see this as a diversion. It has always been with such matters.
This possible action reveals a lot about Blizzard’s orientation. The RTS genre is not as powerful as it used to be, at least not in the mainstream console and PC market. But shooters? Shooters are always there. Converting the monumental scale and the factions’ war of StarCraft into a shooter format might be a way to disclose that universe to an entirely new group of gamers who may not be inclined towards base-building and micromanagement. It is a risk, though it is an exciting one.
Players should not overlook that no franchise is actually lost in the past. The companies are always looking for new angles and the most creative ways to invigorate the old IPs. Whether this StarCraft shooter proves to be a masterstroke or blunder, the very fact that it is even a consideration is an indication that Blizzard has not forgotten one of its primary series. The BlizzCon excitement has just doubled in intensity and gamers will be very eager to see if this speculation turns into reality or not. The chances for a reimagining of a classic setting are huge, and it could be that it would set a completely new standard for what a StarCraft game can be like on Xbox.
