One of Blizzard’s biggest IPs is reportedly up for grabs, with South Korean studio Nexon seriously vying to buy development rights for future installments of StarCraft.
According to major South Korean newspaper The Chosun Daily (via Reddit), a deal between Blizzard and Nexon to grant the latter studios exclusive rights over the IP is reportedly on the brink of being signed. A games industry source told the paper that if a contract is agreed, Nexon will be able to develop content for the StarCraft franchise, including a new mainline entry in the series, believed to be StarCraft 3.
The deal will reportedly be limited to development rights, with Microsoft/Blizzard still having complete ownership over the StarCraft IP. However, it would give Nexon huge control over the future direction of the sci-fi franchise—something which fans will hotly contest. Blizzard, Nexon and Microsoft have not commented on the reports.
It’s not hard to see why Nexon is pushing to get its fingers into the StarCraft pie, considering it is still one of the most popular games in South Korea almost 30 years after its original release. It has amassed an enormous following and has become deeply embedded in gaming culture, attracting thousands of players to competitive esports events in Korea’s largest cities.
According to Chosun Daily, StarCraft still ranks among the top 10 titles played in Korean PC cafés, a key indicator of popularity in the Asian nation. Nexon has also collaborated professionally with Blizzard before, signing a contract for exclusive publishing rights to Overwatch earlier this year, which reportedly gave them a leg up on the competition also jostling for the StarCraft IP.
Fan response to the news on Reddit was mixed, with some lamenting Blizzard parting with one of its biggest franchises and believing it is a move only to fill its coffers, ignoring the feelings of fans. One user wrote that it was certain that StarCraft would see some “gacha P2W slop” created in its name. Others weren’t as nihilistic, believing a reinvention of the StarCraft IP via Nexon’s subsidiary Embark Studios would be a breath of fresh air.
If Nexon is indeed able to secure IP rights to StarCraft, one of Blizzard’s biggest and most celebrated, then all bets are off regarding the direction the South Korean publisher could take.
The sci-fi RTS series has been long dormant, releasing its first game in 1998, followed by a sequel in 2010. Both were critically acclaimed and once the sequel debuted, most players in Europe and the Americas migrated over to that title. However, the original StarCraft has maintained a cult-like following in South Korea and still has legions of dedicated fans.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.dualshockers.com/starcraft-for-sale-nexon-buying-ip-rights-from-blizzard-says-new-report/
