The Future of StarCraft may be Entrusted to NEXON
Korean-based NEXON is reportedly on the verge of a major deal for StarCraft, one of Blizzard’s most established brands. According to a report by Chosun, the company is in talks with Blizzard to acquire the rights to develop new content using the StarCraft intellectual property. If the deal is finalized, NEXON could have development rights for sequels to the series.
A NEXON Era May Begin for StarCraft
The report, citing an unnamed high-level industry source, claims that the StarCraft deal between NEXON and Blizzard is very close to completion. According to the same source, once the contract is finalized, NEXON will hold the development rights for StarCraft sequels. However, there has been no official confirmation from either party yet.
Such an agreement could be considered particularly significant for the South Korean market. Despite being released nearly 30 years ago, StarCraft remains a vital part of the country’s PC gaming culture. The article also emphasizes that the series is still among the top most popular PC games in Korea.
The biggest question mark, naturally, is StarCraft 3. Sixteen years have passed since the release of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. During this time, projects like Heart of the Swarm, Legacy of the Void, Nova Covert Ops, and StarCraft: Remastered were released, but the third main game in the series was never announced.
NEXON’s acquisition of the development rights could represent a significant change for the future of the series. However, the current information is merely a claim based on industry sources. It’s too early to say for sure that StarCraft 3 will be developed without confirmation from Blizzard or NEXON. But if negotiations are successful, the possibility of the long-dormant series becoming active again could be significantly strengthened.
