Blizzard announces new StarCraft, and it’s not an RTS

There was a lot of gaming news coming out of BlizzCon 2026 over the past weekend, from World of Warcraft: Forever to the new expansion, the surprise Diablo V announcement, and a new campaign for Warcraft III Reforged.

That’s super exciting, I’ve got to say, but that isn’t exactly esports-related, is it? Well, a new StarCraft game from the iconic real-time strategy (RTS) franchise has also been revealed. Unfortunately for those who were hoping for StarCraft III, that’s not going to happen.

Instead, we have an open-world Sci-Fi shooter. No actual gameplay has been shown (don’t fall for the fake vids).

Development is led by former Far Cry head, Dan Hay, who explained on stage that:

“There was an opportunity; this time, there was a mission to assemble the team worthy of carrying the legacy of one of Blizzard’s most beloved games. A team built with one purpose, with one goal, to return to a universe forged in interstellar war. This is something new, an open-world shooter where every step is earned, not from above, but down in the mud, in the fire, honoring the past, its tone, its truth, but with an opportunity to push beyond it.

We are here standing shoulder to shoulder with you, we are here to reignite this universe alongside each and every one of you. We are here to make StarCraft.”

The new StarCraft game has a planned release window of “2030,” so it’s quite a while off still. Despite it not being an esports title, the cinematic trailer did send chills running down my spine. Check it out below.

Header image via Blizzard.