Blizzard Entertainment announced a new game set in the StarCraft universe during the opening ceremony of BlizzCon 2026. It will be an open-world shooter with a planned release in 2030, as confirmed by TechPowerUp, ShaneTheGamer, and PSU.
New StarCraft won't be a strategy
The game will carry the simple title StarCraft, without a III. According to available information, the developers have decided to move away from the real-time strategy genre and instead offer an open world with an emphasis on story. The project is led by Dan Hay, Blizzard's vice president, who previously served as creative director on several Far Cry titles at Ubisoft.
The story takes place in the Koprulu sector, roughly 70 years after the events of the Legacy of the Void expansion. Blizzard has so far only shown a cinematic trailer; no gameplay footage has been presented, TechPowerUp noted. According to the studio, the game is in early development.
Discrepancies in details and history of attempts
Media outlets differ on which human faction appears in the trailer. TechPowerUp mentions the Dominion, while other sources refer to the United Earth Directorate. Platforms have also not been announced, with PSU speculating about next-generation consoles.
This is not Blizzard's first attempt at a shooter set in the StarCraft universe. Back in 2002, the studio announced the project StarCraft: Ghost, which was officially canceled in 2014 after years of development. The last addition to the series was the StarCraft II expansion, which according to TechPowerUp was released in 2015, or the Nova Covert Ops add-on a year later.
Fans can register for updates on the official StarCraft.com website. Blizzard has not yet released any further details about gameplay or a specific release date.