Blizzard’s StarCraft: Remastered took one year to make, post-launch support confirmed
Today Blizzard announced StarCraft: Remastered, a remake of the strategy game StarCraft and its Brood War expansion. As the title suggests, the game will feature new high-definition visuals, as well as LAN and online multiplayer.
In an interview with Yahoo Esports, senior producer Pete Stilwell revealed that Blizzard developed the game “in about 12 months.” Stilwell sat down with us to talk about the development cycle, how the team integrated feedback from StarCraft pros in playtests, and what other new features we can expect from the game.
Stilwell confirmed that after the game is released, Blizzard will be actively looking to the community for feedback for future plans.
“We don’t want to go back to having the thing that we put on the shelf,” he said. “The classic games team…is dedicated to these games and wants to treat them more as a service again. So we do have plans for after launch. Some of which is see where the community is at… what do they want next? Is it voice chat, whatever, and we’ll take that lead.”
He stated that despite the visual upgrade, StarCraft: Remastered will still play like the StarCraft of old, from the “derpy” dragoons to finer gameplay details such as Reaver Scarabs not exploding straight away.
He revealed that the team travelled to South Korea several times during development to garner feedback from professional players and casters, including Lee “Flash” Young Ho, Lee “Jaedong” Jae Dong, and Kim “Bisu” Taek Yong.
Stilwell further stated that legacy Battle.net has held a steady player base and that the number of concurrent players has not decreased, despite the platform’s age. Players will be able to pair their classic accounts with modern accounts, keeping the classic account name and associated wins/losses.
Players will be able to switch between the HD and SD modes, with crossplay available between both. During development, Blizzard enlisted the skills of Brian Sousa, the original artist on StarCraft. His involvement with the process meant that Blizzard could bring StarCraft: Remastered’s graphics in line with Sousa’s original vision.
StarCraft: Remastered is scheduled for release in summer. Watch the full announcement trailer to see it in action:
