StarCraft could finally be preparing for its long-awaited return, but the next mainline game may not be developed by Blizzard.
More than a decade after the last major entry in the legendary real-time strategy series, a new report claims Nexon (the names behind The Final, The First Berserker: Khazan and many more) is close to securing the rights needed to develop a StarCraft sequel.
The original StarCraft launched way back in 1998 and quickly became one of the most influential RTS games ever released. StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty followed in 2010 before Blizzard expanded the game with Heart of the Swarm and Legacy of the Void. However, Legacy of the Void arrived in 2015, leaving fans without another mainline release for more than a decade.
Now, an exclusive report from Korean publication Chosun claims Nexon is pushing to secure the development rights for the franchise’s next chapter, following previous speculation that both Nexon and Blizzard were working on new entries.
Nexon reportedly close to securing StarCraft sequel rights
According to Chosun, Nexon is pursuing an agreement that would allow it to develop a StarCraft game. It’s important to note that the report doesn’t suggest Nexon would purchase the franchise outright but instead, the company would reportedly receive the rights to develop a sequel while Blizzard and its parent company, Microsoft, retained ownership of StarCraft.
Blizzard“A contract between Nexon and Blizzard regarding the StarCraft IP is on the verge of being finalized,” a senior gaming industry official reportedly told Chosun, going on to add: “I understand that once this contract is completed, Nexon will hold the development rights for a sequel to the existing StarCraft.”
With StarCraft 2 already released, the reported agreement could pave the way for Nexon to develop StarCraft 3.
Chosun also reports that several companies around the world showed interest in acquiring the StarCraft development rights, but Nexon was reportedly selected as the preferred bidder partly because of its existing relationship with Blizzard.
For now, StarCraft 3 remains unconfirmed. However, if the reported contract is completed, one of Blizzard’s most iconic franchises could return with Nexon leading its next mainline entry.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
