Blizzard RTS fans have had a rough time lately, as the studio seems to have lost interest in strategy games, despite being responsible for setting the standard for the genre in its heyday. There were even potential plans for new Blizzard RTS titles—possibly even a Warcraft 4—but those projects were never given the green light.
This revelation comes from Jason Schreier, a Bloomberg journalist promoting his book *Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment*. In a recent AMA on the World of Warcraft subreddit, Schreier shared a behind-the-scenes look that might disappoint RTS enthusiasts: Tim Morten, Starcraft 2's production director, and his team spent years pitching new RTS concepts to Blizzard’s executives. They pitched everything from Warcraft 4 to, believe it or not, a Call of Duty RTS. However, there was no interest from Blizzard's leadership.
Morten, who left Blizzard in 2019, went on to work on *Stormgate*, which recently entered early access with mixed reviews. Schreier points out that the lack of enthusiasm for a new RTS at Blizzard was evident, even with the release of *Warcraft 3: Reforged*. Intended as a last-ditch effort to rekindle interest in the genre, *Reforged* fell short of expectations. Fans were left disappointed when the final product didn’t match the ambitious promises of its 2018 demo. The game's release was marred by a lack of features compared to the original, a controversial EULA that granted Blizzard ownership of user-created content, and poor timing during a period of negative publicity for the company.
Schreier refers to *Reforged* as a "debacle" that marked Blizzard's first significant misstep, tarnishing its reputation. By 2020, Morten and his team departed to form Frost Giant Studios, releasing *Stormgate*. Despite this, with new leadership now in place, there’s a possibility Blizzard might reconsider the RTS genre in the future. However, with much of the original talent gone, rebuilding the magic of their past RTS classics would be a significant challenge. As some have noted, Blizzard still has the resources to attract new talent capable of redefining the genre—if it chooses to try.
Source: Key Blizzard developers apparently tried for years to get a new Starcraft or Warcraft RTS off the ground, but execs had 'no appetite' for them
This revelation comes from Jason Schreier, a Bloomberg journalist promoting his book *Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment*. In a recent AMA on the World of Warcraft subreddit, Schreier shared a behind-the-scenes look that might disappoint RTS enthusiasts: Tim Morten, Starcraft 2's production director, and his team spent years pitching new RTS concepts to Blizzard’s executives. They pitched everything from Warcraft 4 to, believe it or not, a Call of Duty RTS. However, there was no interest from Blizzard's leadership.
Morten, who left Blizzard in 2019, went on to work on *Stormgate*, which recently entered early access with mixed reviews. Schreier points out that the lack of enthusiasm for a new RTS at Blizzard was evident, even with the release of *Warcraft 3: Reforged*. Intended as a last-ditch effort to rekindle interest in the genre, *Reforged* fell short of expectations. Fans were left disappointed when the final product didn’t match the ambitious promises of its 2018 demo. The game's release was marred by a lack of features compared to the original, a controversial EULA that granted Blizzard ownership of user-created content, and poor timing during a period of negative publicity for the company.
Schreier refers to *Reforged* as a "debacle" that marked Blizzard's first significant misstep, tarnishing its reputation. By 2020, Morten and his team departed to form Frost Giant Studios, releasing *Stormgate*. Despite this, with new leadership now in place, there’s a possibility Blizzard might reconsider the RTS genre in the future. However, with much of the original talent gone, rebuilding the magic of their past RTS classics would be a significant challenge. As some have noted, Blizzard still has the resources to attract new talent capable of redefining the genre—if it chooses to try.
Source: Key Blizzard developers apparently tried for years to get a new Starcraft or Warcraft RTS off the ground, but execs had 'no appetite' for them