Blizzard Entertainment currently has many projects in the works, including a Starcraft shooter, according to a new report.
During a recent video discussing Microsoft’s ongoing layoffs and the uncertainty facing Xbox-owned studios, Bloomberg investigative journalist Jason Schreier revealed that Blizzard Entertainment is currently working on numerous unannounced projects, including new content for Diablo IV and a shooter set in the StarCraft universe.
Despite concerns over potential layoffs, he highlighted that Blizzard Entertainment remains actively engaged in developing multiple projects across its biggest franchises. He said, “Diablo has been doing really well. I don’t know if they quite hit the exact numbers that they wanted to for Diablo 4 and its expansions, but it is still a successful game that is making money for them.” He added that Blizzard has “tons of new projects in the works. New stuff in Diablo.”
Schreier also brought up prior reporting from his book Play Nice, saying, “I’ve talked before and I wrote in Play Nice about a StarCraft shooter that is in development.” It looks like that project is still being pursued by Blizzard Entertainment.
Blizzard previously canceled several projects based on the franchise over the years, including the ambitious StarCraft: Ghost. In his book, Schreier had speculated that perhaps after the aforementioned cancellations, the third time would be a charm.
Despite the encouraging news about Blizzard Entertainment’s development pipeline, Schreier said that morale within the studio has been affected by Microsoft’s recent restructuring. Employees reportedly remain uncertain about whether they could be affected by additional layoffs planned over the coming months.
According to Schreier, this uncertainty makes creative work significantly more difficult. He argued that developing video games requires experimentation and artistic freedom, both of which suffer when employees are worried about their job security.
Back in February, it was claimed that Nexon is working on a new game based on the StarCraft IP. Read about it here.
