Blizzard Say Goodbye To StarCraft 2
I don’t tend to write about games specifically too much as much as the tech itself. However, StarCraft and its sequel StarCraft 2 carry a special place in my heart. I have spent many hours getting into the mechanics of this RTS game and more than that, I’ve come to love its community and scene across the world. SC2 came in 3 expansions and the current release is Legacy of the VOID (LOTV). The sequel to Brood War wasn’t for everyone and the re-master was well received by the OG community and new comers. It has been over 10 years since the release of SC2 and Blizzard have finally announced that development will be terminated and updates in the way of paid content will cease.
Hearing this news brings about negative impacts on the scene, one of the biggest impacts this will have is funding towards premiere events. Paid content such as skins, challenges (warchest) and the like also helped to build pools for tournaments on the pro scene. Without this, there will be a sudden absence of prize money. Is SC2 dead? Development wise, yes. But I would say that it is currently in a place of sustained growth as we see new players come onto the scene and dominate even against some of the most seasoned level veterans. A game does not need to be Battle Royale levels of participation to thrive, but it certainly helps.
The announcement further detailed that as they close this chapter on development of the game, it will allow them think about where new ventures will go and the general future of StarCraft universe. Balance changes for the current meta are not planned to change either following the last patch. I loosely kept up with the SC scene over the years and have enjoyed watching the pro circuit over the past few months, so news of this comes as a downer. I feel that Blizzard are not very likely to invest more into developing a new StarCraft game, I do not care for any offshoots either. Will they make a StarCraft battle royale? Not like likely. Card games would just be an insult to injury but I wouldn’t be surprised. But it’s generally not good news as the air is filled with uncertainty and this is end of road for a wonderful game. The future for now rests on the community and I hope it continues to grow and prove that there are still minerals and Vespene gas left on the map.
https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/starcraft2/23544726/starcraft-ii-update-october-15-2020
