Is StarCraft 3 Coming? Possible News and Why Sequel is Unlikely

StarCraft is regarded as the best real-time strategy game of all time and one of Blizzard Entertainment’s flagship franchises. The fans had to wait 12 years for the second instalment and there are many who still hold out hope for StarCraft 3.

It’s been a long time since we had anything substantial to think about for a future StarCraft game. This long after the last game’s release, we still don’t know anything about the StarCraft 3 release date, or even if one is planned. Every now and again something on social media will raise the hopes of fans though. Considering that and the changes at Blizzard that have taken place recently, are things looking brighter? While we still don’t know when is StarCraft 3 coming out, there’s slightly more of a possibility of the game arriving than there used to be.

These are all of the hints and teases we’ve had lately that might mean Blizzard are hard at work figuring out StarCraft 3 gameplay. Plus, some of the main reasons why we haven’t had one yet and a lot of people don’t expect to see any StarCraft 3 news.

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Will There be a StarCraft 3?

StarCraft is such a persevering game that this long after release it’s still widely played in StaarCraft esports. It has a dedicated following, even if the game series doesn’t have too many titles out there. The big question for its future though is will there be a StarCraft 3? We don’t know for certain, but so far, we have no official news of any future StarCraft game being in development at Blizzard.

From time to time, people at Blizzard will respond to fans on social media about StarCraft. This will usually set off speculation about a new sequel! In all likelihood though, this is unrelated. StarCraft is a Blizzard game with an active community and life left in it. It would be stranger if they officially ignored the community instead of occasionally responding.

We don’t have any official word on the game being in development Although, over the years fans have had a few reasons to think it might be worked on at Blizzard.

Possible News – Will There Be a StarCraft 3 Release Date?

One of the more recent pieces of StarCraft 3 news came from a common source, Linkedin. From time to time, developers will include unannounced projects in their work history, accidentally letting slip that something is in development. For those wondering will there be a StarCraft 3, an update in 2021 got people excited. An employee listed an unannounced StarCraft project to their work history!

This could mean that a StarCraft sequel was in the works at Blizzard at some point. Equally though, this is social media and not the most reliable source. It’s also likely that Blizzard considers sequels to dormant properties much more often than they release them. There’s no guarantee this unannounced project is still in the works.

That’s about it for trustable information. There are the aforementioned random tweets from time to time that players like to jump to as proof. However, for the most part, there’s nothing to indicate a sequel is coming.

Blizzard has just undergone one of its biggest changes though. The Blizzard Microsoft buyout probably means we’ll see quite a bit of change at the company, this could even mean resurrecting properties like StarCraft! It definitely still has the following to warrant a StarCraft 3 release date getting pencilled in eventually. At the moment, we don’t have any firm news. However, if the recent past of games like CS:GO is anything to go by, we might eventually see some progress no matter how unlikely it feels. The odds of seeing a StarCraft 3 trailer at BlizzCon don’t seem so high right now though.

Why There Probably Won’t Be a StarCraft 3

That’s what we know about if there’s a StarCraft 2, why don’t we expect a title to be announced anytime soon though? There are a few factors working against a sequel being developed right now, these are the biggest.

StarCraft 2 is Meeting Most Expectations

The game spent a lot of time in development, but this is something to be expected from Blizzard, so the fans were patient. It was released 12 years after the original and a decade later, it is still going strong with players enjoying it worldwide. Expectations were lowered by Blizzard. The RTS genre has lost a lot of traction, while MOBAs rose to prominence. StarCraft Esports are still popular and both active and former players watch the most important games and tournaments live.

StarCraft betting is going strong and provides developers with the impetus to keep the game fresh, balanced and competitive. Changes are being made regularly, through patches and it is more likely to have small expansion packs released, then a fully-fledged StarCraft 3. We also got a remake of the original game. All of this has really hit the same spots as a potential StarCraft 3 would, so do we need another sequel? Given the smaller audience for this genre, it seems this minor support is enough for Blizzard for now.

Read also: StarCraft 2 is still going strong as an esport in 2019

Blizzard has Bigger Fish to Fry

The StarCraft franchise required a lot of time and resources because the company wanted to make sure that the game released was flawless. Blizzard is now working on other major projects. They’ve been continually expanding the Warcraft franchise and trying to get Overwatch back on the right track. Even with the Microsoft buyout, their priorities might not have changed far enough to warrant revisiting a niche genre like RTS.

StarCraft 3: The Times Have Changed

There was a time when real-time strategy games were the most popular, but this is nothing more than a distant memory. StarCraft 3 is in a genre that hasn’t been enjoying much success lately. Even borderline RTS MOBA games like DOTA 2 have had a rough year.

 The RTS genre is in a rough spot. There are simply not enough people willing to deal with its steep learning curve. Developers are simplifying the gameplay of existing titles, while the new releases are all aimed at ever-younger audiences.

Players have lost the desire to spend long hours to hone their skills in an unforgiving environment. StarCraft is widely regarded as the most difficult real-time strategy game and this makes it too hard for modern players to even understand. Even in the competitive side of the game things feel like a closed shop. Vertical mobility is possible only in theory and the chances for new players to reach the top and make money playing StarCraft are slim to none.

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The Compelling StarCraft 3 Story is Over

StarCraft is not only an immensely challenging real-time strategy game but also a franchise with an immersive narrative. Its story spans over two decades. It made players care about the characters, in a way that few RTS games ever did. Sadly, even the best things come to an inevitable conclusion and the Legacy of the Void brilliantly wrapped up this compelling story. Pushing it further in StarCraft 3 would only make it feel unnatural and risk compromising everything that Blizzard has achieved so far.

World of Warcraft is a shining example of how Blizzard finds creative ways to add new chapters to a popular game to maximize its revenue. Most recently, bringing back one of the founders of much of Warcraft’s lore. However, those who are hoping for a similar outcome with StarCraft 3 shouldn’t get their hopes too high. World of Warcraft is a moneymaking machine, with monthly subscriptions, whereas players only pay once for a StarCraft game.

The bottom line is that this remarkable franchise kept players excited, but it appears to be officially over. StarCraft 3 is only a dream. While we get occasional teases of the rare employee working on a future title, there’s nothing to suggest one is in the works.