World of Starcraft Possibly Confirmed

lynzh · 05/05/07, 8:57 PM

I felt these news needed it's own thread, as the "Blizzard Job Board looking for a "Next Gen MMO" team." had reached 5 pages of speculation and reminiscing about Blizzard's earlier successful titles.

PC Gamer's online portal, Computerandvideogames.com (CVG) has reported that they have insider information confirming what the gaming world has suspected for some time. CVG states that it is indeed a StarCraft MMO currently in the works at Blizzard and not another chapter in the StarCraft RTS series. According to their article, the new StarCraft MMO will be announced at the upcoming Blizzard event slated for May 19th in South Korea.

While I'm thrilled that there is another StarCraft in the pipes, I'm more than a bit curious about how Blizzard are going to be able to translate StarCraft's universe to an MMO. Will you be able to play as Protoss, Zerg, and Terran? Or will the Zerg become the new Scourge -- NPC's for Protoss and Terran players to battle against? Another question to my mind would be about the number of worlds in the StarCraft universe. Will you start on the home planet of your race and then as you gain levels, move to others? How is Blizzard planning on addressing the platform battles in space? Will they add in the option for in-space skirmishes (somewhat like EVE Online) which help to decide who controls different platforms and sectors of space as opposed to it all being land-battles? Or will you just board shuttles (teleport) from planet to platform to planet without ever actually spending much time in space?

For that matter, I suppose that all depends on where in the storyline it picks up. Would it be early in the storyline before Jim Raynor and Tassadar join forces to take out the Overmind? Or we are looking at a point after when the United Earth Directorate comes to take control of the Zerg, only to be destroyed by Kerrigan who has taken over the Broods and is leading the Zerg? Perhaps, like World of Warcraft, it will be after a massive defeat of the enemy (Zerg?) -- with another "tense peace" like the one that currently (supposedly) exists between the Alliance and the Horde.

Obviously, this leaves us with a lot of questions, and not a lot of answers. I suppose we'll all have to wait (and wonder) until the 19th when Blizzard confirms (or disproves) the leaked information that is currently being reported.

Source -- http://www.wowinsider.com/2007/05/05...mation-leaked/

To add my own opinion in here: I am very afraid this will split WoW's playerbase in half, if WoW has not died out by the time WoS hits the shelves.

Tacitus · 05/05/07, 9:01 PM

I'm both thrilled and let down, SC might have been better left as an RTS.

Anyways, the "real" announcement can't come too soon.

Thecrowbar · 05/05/07, 9:02 PM

If this information is confirmed then Blizz have made a horrible, horrible decision.

I was really getting excited about a second Starcraft RTS, and this is the last thing I would have wanted Blizz to do with the franchise at this point in time :S

Juno · 05/05/07, 9:04 PM

I'm actually looking forward to this a lot. A Starcraft MMORPG has incredible potential. Running around as a Firebat, torching mobs. I'm just torn if I'd rather see this in FPS a la Hellgate or as 3rd person like WoW. It'll be very interesting to see how it all plays out.

YAMATO GUN! In-space skirmishes, oh you wet dream.

Tehehe · 05/05/07, 9:07 PM

I'm pretty sure that this is not confirmed. The only source they cite is CVG having "insider information".

In fact, at the end of the article they even note the possibility of false information:

I suppose we'll all have to wait (and wonder) until the 19th when Blizzard confirms (or disproves) the leaked information that is currently being reported.

I suppose it is a bit ambiguous as it may be referring to waiting for reports regarding whether or not it is in fact a Starcraft MMO, or waiting for reports regarding the details of the storyline and gameplay.

Gutter · 05/05/07, 9:08 PM

Split WoW's player base in half? It'd still have like four times as many subs as nearly any of the other MMO's. WoW will be fine for a very very long time.
If this is true I'm really looking forward to it. I am not an RTS fan at all and was never a fan of SC but I've been dying for a great Sci Fi MMO that isn't Eve Online. *fingers crossed*

mek · 05/05/07, 9:13 PM

Originally Posted by lynzh

To add my own opinion in here: I am very afraid this will split WoW's playerbase in half, if WoW has not died out by the time WoS hits the shelves.

On the one hand, I think it's quite odd that there's no RTS coming down the pipe; WC3 is aging, though admittedly DOTA will last forever.

On the other hand, announcing an MMO, in Blizz time, is not "too soon" - announced in 2007 is just in time for a 2010 release, if we consider how long WoW was in development for. In 2010, WoW is 6 years old, and we're at least 2 expansions later, I hope. Even if WoW dwindles down to a "mere" 2 million subs after Starcraft MMO is released, that's still an amazingly huge game which will continue to be developed.

Morelis · 05/05/07, 9:14 PM

If true I'm hoping it falls into the MMOFPS category. Planetside done right or Battlefield in a persistent world with real character development would be incredible if it turns out well.

thegreathio · 05/05/07, 9:14 PM

WoW is still way to popular to introduce a Starcraft MMO. Financially, it makes very little sense for them to announce an SC MMO with WoW still peaking. The reality is even if we ever see an SCMMO, it won't likely be until WoWs subscriptions are beginning to suffer.

Just ANNOUNCING an SCMMO has the potential to hurt WoW subscriptions, so there's no fucking way they'd do it now.

Titan48 · 05/05/07, 9:24 PM

I personally have never heard of CVG before, so there goes some credibility, and chances are they are probably just going on the same information that we are, but saying that its "inside information"

They have very little to loose, and I imagine a very large new viewer base by saying they confirmed a Starcraft MMO.

♦ Praetorian · 05/05/07, 9:27 PM

There isn't a damn thing "confirmed" here.