A new StarCraft game is still on the table at Blizzard Entertainment, but it may not play anything like what fans of the sci-fi franchise have been accustomed to. Mike Ybarra, Blizzard President, has told Bloomberg (alternate link) in a new interview concerning his company’s “more independent future under Xbox” that while the StarCraft franchise may very well return after having gone missing for years, the next game in the series, if it does see the light of day, could be in “a different genre altogether.” According to Ybarra, this is because most of the Blizzard staff who had experience developing real-time strategy games have already left the company, having jumped ship during Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick’s reign. Xbox head Phil Spencer, who showed up at BlizzCon 2023’s Opening Ceremony last week, has indicated that he wants Blizzard to be more like the independent studio it once was.
Ybarra said that on the heels of the acquisition he still intends to have big teams working on the largest franchises. But he is also open to less mainstream projects, including a possible return for StarCraft. Under Kotick, many Blizzard staff members with experience developing real-time strategy games left the company. So if the franchise does return, Ybarra hinted that the next iteration could be in a different genre altogether.
“It’s not me saying, ‘Go make a StarCraft game,’” Ybarra said. “I need to have someone who has the vision and passion that comes with the idea, and I’ll bet on that team.”
Blizzard staffers are particularly hopeful that the new regime will restore the studio’s sense of autonomy. In an interview, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra said that Spencer had indicated that he wants Blizzard to be more like the independent studio it once was.
“I absolutely love that,” Ybarra said. “It motivates the teams.”