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StarCraft Returns in 2030 as Open-World Shooter
Confirmed
In Short: Blizzard Entertainment has officially confirmed the return of the iconic StarCraft franchise with a new open-world shooter set for release in 2030.
Blizzard Entertainment has officially announced the return of the StarCraft franchise with a new open-world shooter, marking a significant shift for the long-running real-time strategy (RTS) series. The game, simply titled 'StarCraft,' is set to release in 2030, nearly a decade after the last new game in the series, StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty, launched in 2010.
During the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremonies, the game was revealed with a tagline of 'carry their strength forward,' though no gameplay details were provided. The announcement comes after years of rumors and speculation, including the canceled Ares project in 2019 and a job listing in 2024 suggesting the same open-world shooter.
Dan Hay, the director of the project, confirmed that the game will 're-ignite' the StarCraft universe, with a trailer showing the new direction the franchise is taking. The game is set roughly 70 years after the events of StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void, promising a continuation of the overall story and universe.
While the game is officially called 'StarCraft,' this could cause confusion with the existing RTS titles. The open-world format marks a significant departure from the series' traditional RTS roots, focusing instead on exploration and resource management in a new, expansive world.
What's confirmed
- A StarCraft shooter has been rumored for years now, going back to the canceled Ares project in 2019 and more recently as likely this same open-world shooter suggested in a job listing in 2024 led by former Ubisoft developer and Far Cry 5 director Dan Hay.
What's still developing
- One of the biggest reveals (something that’s been teased over the past couple weeks) is a brand new StarCraft game.
- StarCraft is one of my all-time favorite franchises, largely because of its RTS roots.
- The cinematic trailer for the long-shrouded 'StarCraft' IP title was finally revealed today (13th) during the BlizzCon 2026 Opening Ceremony.
- After extensive teasing, Blizzard revealed today that it is in fact making and planning to release a brand new StarCraft open world shooter.
- It’s just entitled StarCraft, and I’m so sorry to say you won’t be able to play it until…2030.
- And thaaaaat’s basically all we know about StarCraft.
- The last StarCraft game, StarCraft: Remastered, came out waaaay back in 2017, almost a decade ago.
- “It’s about damn time.” BlizzCon 2026 Liveblog: StarCraft’s open-world shooter, Diablo V’s reveal, and World of Warcraft’s version of Classic Plus The Daily Grind: If you won the lottery, would you spend it on MMO stuff?