Blizzard has revealed why it is developing the next StarCraft as an open-world shooter rather than a traditional real-time strategy (RTS) game. It said that from the early stages of development, the story put more weight on experiencing the battlefield directly from the ground instead of looking down from above.

On Sept. 14 (local time), IT outlet TechRadar reported that Dan Hay (댄 헤이), general manager for StarCraft, said in a BlizzCon 2026 interview that the genre shift “formed naturally” during internal discussions. Hay explained that whenever the team imagined the game’s story and key scenes and expressed them in drawings, their viewpoint always moved toward a character in the middle of the battlefield.

Discussions became more specific, covering details such as the gloves a character wears, enemies attacking them and how equipment breaks during combat. As they continued developing such ideas, the developers realised they were no longer talking about a game where players command troops from above. They said they were imagining a title in which players “feel every moment of the game from the ground.” Hay stressed that this perspective also fit more naturally with the story the new game aims to tell.

The new title will also focus on exploration and discovery typical of open-world games. Players may spot a structure or terrain in the distance, then go there to check whether it is a place or element seen in past StarCraft titles. The plan is to let existing fans experience a familiar world from new distances and viewpoints.

Blizzard officially announced the new StarCraft as an original open-world shooter at the BlizzCon 2026 opening ceremony. Its release target is spring 2030. So far, only a cinematic video has been released, and detailed gameplay information such as the combat system, whether it will be first-person or third-person, and supported platforms has not been disclosed.

As StarCraft expands beyond its identity as a flagship RTS into a shooter in which players move through the battlefield directly, attention is likely to focus on how existing fans will accept the genre change.