Blizzard confirms StarCraft II will no longer receive dev updates

Brad Norton
StarCraft II cover

Just a few weeks removed from StarCraft II’s 10th-anniversary celebration and Blizzard has today announced a significant cutback on development, meaning that no new content will be coming to the iconic game.

StarCraft II launched in July 2010. Ever since, it has carried the legacy of its predecessor as one of the most iconic real-time strategy (RTS) games. It shot to stardom in the esports landscape and has been a staple of competitive gaming. However, the current form of the game appears to be its last.

Support for the title has been scaled back yet again, Blizzard revealed in an October 15 statement. No new content will is in development moving forward as developers look towards the future of “the StarCraft universe as a whole.”

The original StarCraft was updated for over a decade following its release. Its sequel is now winding down shortly after its 10-year anniversary celebrations.

StarCraft II gameplay
There will be no future content for StarCraft II.

“We’re not going to be producing addition for-purchase content,” Blizzard outlined. From Commanders to War Chests, no new microtransactions will be added in the future. However, that’s not to say that the game won’t be receiving any updates again.

“We’re going to continue supporting Starcraft II in the same manner as we have with our previous longstanding games.” This means Blizzard will be focusing on the competitive side of things with balance updates and patches of that nature, rather than any new content.

“We will continue doing season rolls and necessary balance fixes moving forward.” Don’t expect to see another one this calendar year, however. “We’re not planning a Q4 balance update, but as always, we do plan to continue doing them as needed in the future.”

Addressing the competitive ecosystem for the game, Blizzard also outlined how StarCraft II will continue forward as an esport. The title will “continue going strong,” in this regard, thanks to Blizzard’s partners in ESL Gaming and GSL.

StarCraft II gameplay
StarCraft II featured three mainline entries over the past decade.

“We’re eternally grateful for your ongoing support,” Blizzard added. “We’ll keep you updated on any and all plans we have for future voyages into the Koprulu Sector.”

Blizzard has a history of long gaps between sequels. Therefore, it could very well be years before we see anything new in the world of StarCraft. 

About The Author

Brad Norton is the Australian Managing Editor at Dexerto. He graduated from Swinburne University with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and has been working full-time in the field for the past six years at the likes of Gamurs Group and now Dexerto. He loves all things single-player gaming (with Uncharted a personal favorite) but has a history on the competitive side having previously run Oceanic esports org Mindfreak. You can contact Brad at brad.norton@dexerto.com