Blizzard Announces New Starcraft Game

About a zillion readers wrote in to tell us about all the commotion over at the Blizzard site. Following a countdown, they've announced the latest Starcraft game, Starcraft: Ghost. Note that this game will be console-only, and the FAQ is very adamant that this is not a Starcraft 2.

heres the FAQ in case the page is still hammered..

Q: What is StarCraft: Ghost?
A: StarCraft: Ghost is a tactical-action console game set in the StarCraft® universe.

Q: How will StarCraft: Ghost be different from other tactical-action console games?
A: StarCraft: Ghost will be different from other tactical-action games in many ways. Taking on the role of Nova, the game's elite Ghost operative hero, players will be able to:

Utilize a Wide Range of Elite Ghost Abilities

Outmaneuver your enemies at sonic speed
Infiltrate bases and sneak past guards using the cloak ability
Lock down vehicles and electronic devices to immobilize them
Engage in both face-to-face firefights and planet-scale warfare

Leverage the Resources of an Entire Army

Call down massive Battlecruiser and Siege Tank strikes
Take control of familiar StarCraft vehicles
Wield a variety of familiar weapons, such as the Gauss Rifle and Perdition Flamethrower
Join your allies in battle and do your part to ensure mission success

Experience the World of StarCraft in 3D

See the world of StarCraft on a personal level
Visit familiar planetary settings
Explore 3D environments designed for strategic interaction
Use the camera to find unique strategic possibilities
As Nova, players will be able to scale fences, hang from wires, climb poles and scale walls, and negotiate tightropes

Unveil the Next Chapter in the StarCraft Saga

Experience story-driven missions complete with multiple plot twists
Play a crucial role in the rich StarCraft history
Engage in combat with a variety of fully rendered units from the StarCraft universe, including the Terran, Zerg, and Protoss

Q: Is this StarCraft II?
A: No.

Q: Will there be a StarCraft II? When?
A: Although we have not made any announcements and do not have a development or release timeline, we do fully intend to revisit the world of StarCraft on PC at some point in the future.

Q: Why is Blizzard Entertainment® entering the console arena?
A: We began our early development efforts in console gaming, and we have always been excited about returning to this arena. Additionally, we've wanted to revisit the StarCraft universe for some time. With StarCraft: Ghost, we are able to do both. Also, due to the game's control interface and tactical-action nature, developing this title for the next-generation console systems makes the most sense. In addition to expanding StarCraft's rich storyline, the game gives players a chance to experience the sci-fi universe from an all-new perspective.

Q: Does Blizzard plan to develop any other console games?
A: While we have not made any announcements, we are considering future console development plans.

Q: What is the relationship between Blizzard and Nihilistic Software, Inc.(TM)?
A: Blizzard and Nihilistic are co-developing StarCraft: Ghost.

Q: Why did Blizzard choose Nihilistic as a development partner?
A: Nihilistic Software, Inc. is made up of a talented group of developers. We chose them because they share our vision and focus in developing games. Their team members have worked on several great titles, and we are very pleased to be expanding the StarCraft universe with them.

Q: What is the relationship between Blizzard Entertainment and Capcom?
A: Blizzard and Capcom are co-publishing StarCraft: Ghost in Japan.

Q: Why did Blizzard choose Capcom as a publishing partner in Japan?
A: Blizzard has a longstanding relationship with Capcom. We chose them as our publishing partner because we have a great deal of respect for the company and their products.

Q: When will StarCraft: Ghost be released?
A: We expect to ship StarCraft: Ghost in late 2003.

Q: What rating do you expect for StarCraft: Ghost?
A: We expect StarCraft: Ghost to receive a Teen rating from the ESRB.

Q: On what platforms will StarCraft: Ghost be available?
A: We are currently developing the game for multiple console systems. Further details regarding platform/country specifics will be released in the months ahead.

Q: Will there be a PC and Mac version?
A: No. StarCraft: Ghost is only being developed for console systems.

Q: How many copies of StarCraft have been sold?
A: To date, the StarCraft franchise has shipped over 6 million copies.

Re:heres the FAQ in case the page is still hammere

"We began our early development efforts in console gaming, and we have always been excited about returning to this arena. Additionally, we've wanted to revisit the StarCraft universe for some time. With StarCraft: Ghost, we are able to do both."

Translation: We wanted to use Blizzard's name and a great game title to enter into the console market.

I'm not meaning to flame here... But it looks like that to me. It could turn out to be a great game. However I do question how much it will be starcraft and how much it will be star_based_game_set_in_space_with_aliens_and_human _ghost_character.

If It's good (which I do hope. I've always supported Blizzard), I guess I'll have to buy a console.

and heres the press release....

Blizzard Entertainment® Announces StarCraft: Ghost(TM)

Blizzard unveils plans to bring the legendary franchise to console gamers

MAKUHARI, Japan - September 20, 2002 - During a press conference today at the Tokyo Game Show, Blizzard Entertainment®, a studio of the games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, unveiled StarCraft: Ghost(TM), a tactical-action console game set in Blizzard's epic StarCraft® universe. StarCraft: Ghost is currently under development and is scheduled for a worldwide release on multiple console systems. The game will be co-published by Capcom and Blizzard Entertainment in Japan; further announcements regarding platform/country specifics will be announced in the months to come.

In StarCraft: Ghost, players take the role of Nova, a lethal Ghost operative skillfully trained in the arts of espionage and tactical combat. Twenty years of ruthless physical conditioning and techno-psychological instruction have made Nova a being of terrifying potential. With the help of a determined group of allies, players follow a series of story-driven missions, engaging in a deadly mix of planetary battles and dangerous solo operations. To complete their mission objectives, players must execute intelligent tactical decisions while mastering an advanced arsenal of sophisticated weaponry.

"We're very excited about returning to the StarCraft series," stated Mike Morhaime, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder. "Our roots are based in console gaming, and we look forward to developing this universe for the next-generation console systems."

Key features in StarCraft: Ghost include:
Revolutionary new style of gameplay featuring enhanced physical and psionic abilities
Hostile Environment Suit designed to magnify strength, agility, and speed
Over-the-top special effects offer stunning visuals and unparalleled tactical realism
Immersive 3D environments showcase rich textures and highly stylized character models
Unique Calldown abilities allow players to target large-scale attacks from the ground
A deeply evolving storyline set in Blizzard's gritty sci-fi StarCraft universe

As the story unravels, players find themselves traversing uncharted terrain and battling adversaries never before seen by followers of the series. Bold 3D graphics give players a new, in-depth perspective on familiar planets and former battlefields from the legendary universe. A dynamic 3rd-person camera view displays dramatic lighting, startling detail, and a blend of realistic and fantastical design. Co-developed by Blizzard Entertainment and Nihilistic Software, Inc.(TM), StarCraft: Ghost is scheduled for release in late 2003. Since its debut in 1998, the #1-selling StarCraft series* has won industry acclaim and has shattered sales records worldwide with over six million copies shipped. Blizzard continued the series with the critically acclaimed StarCraft: Brood War(TM), which won multiple Expansion Pack of the Year awards and is still considered by many critics to be one of the best add-on products to date. Best known for blockbuster hits including the Warcraft®, StarCraft,and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment (www.blizzard.com), a studio of the games division of Vivendi Universal Publishing, is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes seven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service Battle.net® reigns as the largest in the world, with millions of active users.

What week is this?

I forget, do we like or despise Blizzard this week?

can't wait...

I'll make sure to tell my grandkids..

Re: The last time

You're totally wrong.

Blizzard developed Warcraft Adventures themselves. It was the graphics that were outsourced to a Russian animation house. Russian. As in, halfway across the world, different language, different time zone.

There was a requested scene that got mangled in the translation so badly that it ended up with a dragon smoking opium instead of billowing fire. (It was funny enough that they planned on using it anyway!)

Anyway, when Warcraft Adventures was canned, it was already "release-quality" by some companies' standards. If it had come out a year earlier, it would have been a great game. But Monkey Island 4 had just come out, and it had advanced the adventure genre to a new level. Blizzard's latest-and-greatest didn't look so great anymore with flat 2D graphics and linear playstyle. So they scrapped it rather than get a "That game is soooo last-year" reaction.

Screenshots

Screenshots [shacknews.com] and the press release [shacknews.com] are attached to the story at Shacknews.com [shacknews.com].

Release Date

"Starcraft Ghost will be out late 2003"

So we can expect it sometime in 2006.

Bleh

A couple years ago or so, when many were heralding the imminent doom of PC games when the next-generation consoles (X-Box, PS2, Gamecube) came out, I sneered and jeered along with the rest of them. PC games, affected at all by these upstart consoles? Ha-ha, ho-ho, it is to laugh!

Now comes Starcraft Ghost, and I'm no longer laughing. Sure, they may turn it out for the PC at some point (maybe), but it's obvious the console gamers are now getting first pick at Blizzard's new titles. And this isn't some new Mario title or kart-racing game that I couldn't give a tinker's damn about -- this is Starcraft. That's a big deal.

Not that it will be a selling point for me -- unfortunately, the disposable income to keep up with the technology curve on both the console and PC front is not a luxury I have right now. And so I find myself reacting to the release of a new Starcraft title not with the excitement and joy that I'd hoped, but with mixed disappointment and dread. Gee, thanks, Blizzard.

Re: not what I got out of it

Actually, the insistence that this isn't "Starcraft 2" should be a strong clue that PC gamers aren't really missing out on "the next big thing" from Blizzard. This sounds much more like a completely different game, trying to cash in on the popularity of the Starcraft name.

If you were laughing before at the suggestion that the PC game market would dry up with the new generation of consoles, keep on laughing. Unreal Tournament 2003 will be out for the PC before XBox or PS2 has it. Starcraft 2 is still slated to be on the PC first, from every indication they've given.

A zillion readers??

About a zillion readers wrote in to tell us

Whoa! Karma inflation!

I knew I should have gotten in on the ground level. Tomorrow my Excellent is going to be Can't Buy A Stick of Gum No More (mostly affected by moderation done to your comments)

Re:Blizzard will pay.

"Rest assured I was on the internet within minutes registering my disgust throughout the world."
-- Comic Book Guy

zerg

so in this case if the site gets terminally slashdotted, is it a zerg rush?

Re:zerg

Slashdot: News for Zergs. Stuff that matters.

It's a shame, really.

You could've made +5 if you'd said:
"Slashdot: News for Zergs. Stuff that mutates."

Starcraft: Ghost

Sounds all very... Metal Gear Solid. Hmmm. I've never been a big fan of Starcraft (but most RTS's don't put wind in my sail).

And now Blizzard is going to go from their gold standard (the RTS) into unfriendly waters (the Tactical Sim)? Of course they can never go long with this dialogue:

Ghost: "The truck have started to move!"
Templar: "I feel asleep!"

Starcraft 2

Nevertheless, Starcraft2.com [starcraft2.com] is up.

Nobody should really be surprised by this...

Blizzard origionally was a console company. What is now known as Blizzard was once Silicon & Synapse. One of their more popular games was Rock & Roll Racing, which, if memory serves, was produced for Nintendo. There have been rumors of them returning to their console roots someday, and with everybody and their brother making consoles these days, it's not surprising that they'd want to "re-expand" into that lucrative market.

As for me, I'm not excited really, because I'm not a console gamer, and because Blizzard's handling of the BNETD situation left a bad taste in my mouth. But, they do have a rep for making good games, so I guess we'll see how well they do on this one.

Next up:

Starcraft: Ghost: Coast to Coast

Looks good

But blizzard will be missing out on my (and i would guess many others') business by making this console only. I do not have the money to burn to buy a game-only system for one game. I have to question the intelligence of a PC game maker totally ditching it's biggest supporters (*gasp* the PC gamer market)

Console

Note that this game will be console-only

Sweet! I always wanted a text-only version of Starcraft on my Linux box.. hm.. I wonder if it will play anything like nethack..

You know you've been using computers for too long

when you see "Console Only" and think "COOL! Finally, ASCII art is making a come back!"

I won't buy...

Maybe when they stop trying to kill the bnetd project I'll consider buying from them again.

I can't help it. I just have a hard time giving my money to a company that is trying to kill a great open source project by using the DMCA.

So until they stop what they're doing to the bnetd group, I say fuck 'em!

Why it wasn't Starcraft 2

Come on guys, it's not that hard.

Warcraft 3 is the fastest selling PC game of all time. It continues to top the charts since its release. In fact, this week is the first time it wasn't #1.

With those kinds of numbers, its obvious Blizzard will do an expansion for it - its easy money!

Now imagine they announced Starcraft 2 would be out next year. That would cannibalize sales of Warcraft 3, and kill any opportunity of an expansion. Everyone would be waiting for Starcraft 2 instead.

This is why they didn't announce Starcraft 2 today. In fact, the PR guys confirmed several days ago that Starcraft 2 isn't even in development - they are focused on making as much as they can from Warcraft 3 right now.

Who knows what will come after the Warcraft III expansion - something with Diablo? Something new? But I don't think we will see Starcraft 2 for at least 3 years.

somethingawful.com

Does anyone follow this site?

They poked fun at Blizzard a few months ago. [somethingawful.com]

Excerpt:

Warcraft I: Play as humans fighting the Orcs, or fight as Orcs playing the humans, or as a human playing the humans playing the Orcs fighting the humans. Either way it will just end up with you building a really long highway until your serial connection gets yanked out by your college roommate's ugly girlfriend.

Diablo I: Point and click your way through a world full of monsters... monsters that want to KILL YOU but you must KILL THEM FIRST! Although your character's strength, intelligence, and dexterity stats will increase based on the number of times you repeatedly smash the left mouse button, you will personally experience a decrease in your own strength, intelligence, and hygiene stats based on the number of hours you play.

Starcraft: It's not at all like Warcraft in space! It's something different! For example, can you perform peon rushes in Warcraft? Yeah, that's what I thought! Also there are no trees or lumber to harvest in space because that would just be silly. Make sure you have a lot of Space Supply Barns because the only way to colonize small square sections of the galaxy is by constructing countless Space Supply Barns. In addition to playing as humans, you can either choose to play as the Zerg (gross aliens) or the Protoss (Egyptian poop-shaped guys who somehow launched themselves into space).

Warcraft II: This game is completely different from Warcraft I, except in the regard that it is exactly the same (without the road-building part). I think maybe the trees and goldmines look more realistic, but I don't remember. Oh, and there are turtle submarines.

Diablo II: Point and click your way through a world full of NEW monsters... NEW monsters that want to KILL YOU but you must KILL THEM FIRST! There are also a bunch of new character classes such as the Amazon, Barbarian, Necromancer, Neuromancer, Hamstermancer, and Haberdasher.