StarCraft Remastered Officially Announced

March 26, 2017 E Tay Comments

Following months of rumors, Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Morhaime took the stage at the I <3 StarCraft event in Seoul this weekend to officially announce StarCraft: Remastered. Expect the game to release this summer for Windows and Mac systems.

The remastered edition will see the campaigns and multiplayer from both the original Starcraft and the Broodwar expansion pack updated with UHD resolution, polished unit models, and integration with the new Blizzard client. Also promised is a "re-recorded and rejuvenated" version of the original soundtrack and dialogue, including mission briefings.

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The official StarCraft: Remastered site includes many before-and-after graphic comparisons. It should be noted that this is not a total remake. Like Age of Empires 2 HD, the goal with StarCraft: Remastered is to make the original 1998 experience playable on modern computers with minimal frustration. It is not to alter the look or feel of the original game.

In preparation for the release of StarCraft: Remastered, Blizzard will be patching Broodwar to version 1.18 to add better Windows 10 support, anti-cheat, and an observer mode. The current StarCraft Anthology which includes the base game and Broodwar will also be made entirely free to play following the v1.18 patch expected later this week. A price has not been announced for the Remastered edition yet.

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Its no secret StarCraft 2 failed to live up to the expectations of many in the StarCraft community. Despite making the basic multiplayer mode and Arcade (custom maps) free to play, StarCraft 2's playerbase has continued to decline. The original StarCraft, on the other hand, has actually been receiving increasing attention lately. Despite being nearly 20 years old, StarCraft is currently the #6 most played game in South Korean PC Bangs, or internet cafes.

Its clear Blizzard is positioning StarCraft: Remastered to take advantage of the growing global market for eSports. StarCraft will enter the market with a massive and geographically expansive fan base already in place. I expect StarCraft: Remastered to sell millions of copies on day one and see its eSports scene far exceeding that of StarCraft 2.

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More casual StarCraft players such as myself aren't left out. The remastered edition will fully support custom maps, many of which pioneered gameplay mechanics that later went on to spawn entire genres. Tower Defenses and MOBAs both got their start in StarCraft's custom map lobbies.

StarCraft: Remastered features include: