StarCraft 2 and its predecessor have arguably been some of the most influential real-time strategy games of all time, and Mike Ybarra seems to think the IP still has insane potential. Beloved by fans all across the globe, StarCraft is a franchise that played a key role in establishing the popularity of e-sports during Brood War. By the time Wings of Liberty launched, it set the stage for Blizzard to host BlizzCon filled with World Championships, where players battled for the ultimate prize in legendary duels.
However, StarCraft was more than just an e-sports darling. The sci-fi counterpart to the Warcraft games, StarCraft is unmistakably inspired by Warhammer 40K, but it still managed to carve out its own take by injecting the Terrans, Protoss, and Zerg with that early Blizzard charm. The original game featured a thrilling story, full of intrigue and betrayal, paving the way for StarCraft 2 to add a cinematic flair to the formula. Though sometimes hit-and-miss with its narrative, certain StarCraft 2 characters quickly became fan favorites such as Highlord Alarak, Abathur, and Nova.
Many players want a continuation of the story, to see the next chapter of StarCraft unfold with the chess pieces so carefully assembled in the Nova Covert Ops missions. It looks like Blizzard's President Mike Ybarra is of the same mind, as he positively replied to a tweet that begged for StarCraft's return to the spotlight. Though the game is still supported through balance patches, and tournaments are being held on a global level, StarCraft 2 has been in maintenance mode for years, and the time for a sequel couldn't be any better.
Given how Microsoft rejuvenated the Age of Empires franchise, many Blizzard fans are hoping that StarCraft will meet a similar fate once the acquisition goes through. It's certainly an IP worth continuing, and given the renewed interest in the RTS genre, a StarCraft 3 would hardly be the worst investment to make.
On the other hand, future StarCraft games may take on a different genre altogether. Blizzard attempted to tackle the first-person shooter with StarCraft: Ghost, before ultimately deciding to cancel the project and integrate Nova into StarCraft 2. Though Overwatch 2 is a different type of game, it has certainly provided Blizzard with experience on how to design exciting gunplay. While Ybarra hasn't confirmed that any new StarCraft projects are currently in development, his comments are certainly intriguing.
StarCraft 2 is available on PC.