blizzard An Update on the Development of StarCraft II

[Staff 1,489]

Rob Bridenbecker, Executive Producer and Vice President of Classic Games, posted an update on the development of StarCraft II, and Blizzard will no longer produce for-purchase content like Commanders and War Chests. Season rolls and balance fixes as well as esports events remain unaffected.

(Source)

To the StarCraft community,

StarCraft is one of a kind, and we’re committed to making sure that those of you who love this universe like we do have a home here for many years to come. With that in mind, we want to let you know about a development change we’re making for StarCraft II as we continue supporting it for the long-term.

As many of you know, Blizzard continues updating its games long after the initial release—some of you will remember that we were actively patching the original StarCraft more than 10 years after it first hit store shelves. This year we celebrated 10 years of StarCraft II with one of our largest-ever patches, with massive updates to the editor, Prestige Talents for Co-op Commanders, and gameplay improvements delivered to players worldwide.

We’re going to continue supporting StarCraft II in the same manner as we have with our previous longstanding games, such as Brood War, focusing primarily on what our core and competitive communities care about most. What this means is that we’re not going to be producing additional for-purchase content, such as Commanders and War Chests, but we will continue doing season rolls and necessary balance fixes moving forward. On that last note, we’re not planning a Q4 balance update given that we did one a few months ago, but as always, we do plan to continue doing them as needed in the future. StarCraft II esports, which is part of the highest echelon of professional competitive gaming, will also continue going strong as it has been through our partners ESL Gaming and GSL.

We know some of our players have been looking forward to some of the things we’re moving away from, but the good news is this change will free us up to think about what’s next, not just with regard to StarCraft II, but for the StarCraft universe as a whole.

StarCraft is core to Blizzard, and we’ve learned that it’s a game that can change the lives of people who devote themselves to it, whether as a player, content creator, streamer, or member of the community (or developer). The outcome of each match is in your hands 100%. To become better, you have to look inward, be honest about any flaws, and dedicate yourself to improving. StarCraft teaches us that that process of improvement can be a reward in itself, and it’s certainly taught us a lot at Blizzard over the years.

You are one of the most passionate, creative, and dedicated communities in all of gaming. We’re eternally grateful for your ongoing support, and we’ll keep you updated on any and all plans we have for future voyages into the Koprulu Sector.

Uhn dara ma'nakai,

Rob Bridenbecker

[Arcling 898]

It was to be expected. This game had long support. I wonder if it's in good state to leave it as it is, or does it still require balancing? Haven't played it in a long time. 

[Frogspoison 63]

4 hours ago, Arcling said:

It was to be expected. This game had long support. I wonder if it's in good state to leave it as it is, or does it still require balancing? Haven't played it in a long time. 

Unlike with SC, they are constantly "tweaking" SC2 multiplayer - Making changes here and there, then later on reverting those changes, then partially bringing them back, then partially nerfing them again, then completely reworking what it was they were tweaking, and then doing it all over again.

[Mishmish 65]

Damn, this hit a bit hard. While the game's ladder is in a fine state and they say they will keep watch over it, lotv added an amazing sleeper mode called Co Op. It's campaign style missions with two player "Commanders", each commander having insanely fun playstyles and abilities. (Raynor is about spamming ridicolous amount of super stim marines, Kerrigan leads a strong zerg army with an actual Kerrigan hero unit that can solo bases, Dehaka also has a hero unit that evoles as he kills enemies throughout the mission, ending uo godzilla size and stronger then Kerrigan).

Its an amazing mode, it has many difficulty options (including "mutations" similar to m+ affixes, some of them much cooler), so its approachable to anyone, and the community that formed around it is very informative and supportive. Seeing blizz will no longer release any new commanders still keeps the mode as fun as it was, but gives up excitement for future additions. I wish some other company will see it for the sleeper it is an innovate bases on the mode, it made rts stress free but kept all the beautiful design sc2 has. 

[Seksi 208]

3 hours ago, Mishmish said:

Damn, this hit a bit hard. While the game's ladder is in a fine state and they say they will keep watch over it, lotv added an amazing sleeper mode called Co Op. It's campaign style missions with two player "Commanders", each commander having insanely fun playstyles and abilities. (Raynor is about spamming ridicolous amount of super stim marines, Kerrigan leads a strong zerg army with an actual Kerrigan hero unit that can solo bases, Dehaka also has a hero unit that evoles as he kills enemies throughout the mission, ending uo godzilla size and stronger then Kerrigan).

Its an amazing mode, it has many difficulty options (including "mutations" similar to m+ affixes, some of them much cooler), so its approachable to anyone, and the community that formed around it is very informative and supportive. Seeing blizz will no longer release any new commanders still keeps the mode as fun as it was, but gives up excitement for future additions. I wish some other company will see it for the sleeper it is an innovate bases on the mode, it made rts stress free but kept all the beautiful design sc2 has. 

100% agree, and in fact because of their unique position, current developers and lack of budget to realistically compete in the MMO space, I could totally see Dreamhaven having a go at making a "co-op" standalone game as one of their first projects. Great potential, probably mobile-friendly, likely requires low budget, no competition as everyone went into MOBAs, Battle Royales, Hero Shooters and Card Games / Auto-Battlers instead.

Wait and see!