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How to save StarCraft


Monday night saw all eyes in esports on two legends playing a game that came out 19 years ago.

Lee “Flash” Young-ho and Lee “Jaedong” Jae-dong played one another in StarCraft: Brood War.

For the first time since 2010, the greatest rivalry in Brood War (and likely, esports) history was seen on the professional stage. For the first time in years, StarCraft took back its throne as the greatest and most watched esport in the world.

It won’t last. This was a one-off deal, a spectacle for those who miss the glory days of StarCraft. The fact is, Blizzard’s premier RTS franchise has been on the decline since the early 2010s and is now on the developer’s backburner, especially when compared to the likes of Overwatch.

But what if Blizzard did want to bring StarCraft back from the brink of extinction? Here are some of the ways the developer could pull it off, ranked from the most pie-in-the-sky options to totally reasonable.

Imagine this screenshot in beautiful 16:9 (Blizzard Entertainment)
Imagine this screenshot in beautiful 16:9 (Blizzard Entertainment)

1. Release Brood War HD

Rumors of a high-definition remake of StarCraft: Brood War have been swirling around the esports space for quite some time. While StarCraft’s pixelated graphics haven’t aged terribly, they’re certainly not up to the standards of the HD and 16:9 era.

As a result, an HD remake with full support of Blizzard and their esports department is the least likely but most exciting option for the resurgence of StarCraft. Can you imagine watching the original StarCraft on a huge screen in beautiful 16:9 with full spectator support?

Too bad it won’t happen.

There are simply too many problems surrounding BW:HD’s possible development. Save for CS:GO and arguably Dota 2, most old-school competitive game remakes don’t feel quite right. (Street Fighter II HD Remix, anyone?). And with the original StarCraft units’ very specific movement and feel – likely a function of the programming limitations of the era – unmatched by anyone since its release, it’s a huge risk for Blizzard to even attempt it.

Want to know the best way to put the nail in StarCraft’s coffin? Remake Brood War and screw it up.

Good luck with this one, Blizz (Blizzard Entertainment)
Good luck with this one, Blizz (Blizzard Entertainment)

2. Balance StarCraft II perfectly

StarCraft II has been on-and-off unbalanced in one way or another at just about every point in its history. Just think back to the era of Swarm Hosts, after all.

It would take an immense amount of time and energy to reworkunits, develop new ones, and tweak numbers. . The sheer amount of work for a game that isn’t generating much revenue is imposing, particularly when you take a look at its rapidly disappearing piece of the esports pie.

What’s more, StarCraft II’s rocky past has likely spoiled its reputation as an esport for years to come. It’ll be a massive uphill climb to get anyone spurned by past issues to come back.

And getting new players to buy in? Good luck with that. That is, unless they…

More than a few people would go back to the RTS without the need to pay money (Blizzard Entertainment)
More than a few people would go back to the RTS without the need to pay money (Blizzard Entertainment)

3. Make StarCraft II free-to-play

Remove the buy-in for StarCraft II. Make good decisions on microtransactions. Give players who already bought it some sort of reward for being early adopters.

Boom, revamped player base.

As we know from League of Legends, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, Overwatch, and just about every other major esport, the easiest way to maintain a game’s spectator popularity is to have as big a playerbase as possible. And right now, StarCraft II’s isn’t terribly large.

It makes sense, considering that the minimum buy-in to play Legacy of the Void is $30. That’s not much for a AAA title, but consider that its most direct esports competitors are the free-to-play League of Legends and Dota 2 and the $15 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Hell, Blizzardonly charges $10 more for a much newer, shinier, and more accessible game in Overwatch.

By ditching the financial barrier of entry, Blizzard will make the barrier of learning that much more palatable for many players. The more players, the merrier.

We'd love to watch Flash play with a powerful spectator client (Blizzard Entertainment)
We’d love to watch Flash play with a powerful spectator client (Blizzard Entertainment)

4. Give Brood War a proper spectator client

After years of watching StarCraft II and other more contemporary esports, watching Brood War is simultaneously beautifully retro and totally frustrating. For old fans, it’s a return to a time when watching the game was a more organic experience, one where a viewer could be surprised by a strategy hidden even from the observers.

Esports these days is all about giving the viewer as much information as possible. Stats fill the screen of spectator clients, ensuring that everyone knows exactly what’s going on at any given moment. It’s more daunting for the novice viewer, but certainly helps them to understand the game once things get going.

Brood War has nothing like what these other games have. There’s no indication of each player’s economic status, their unit counts, or what’s in production. Everything is a surprise to anyone who isn’t intimately aware of the game already.

If Blizzard were to support Brood War’s climb back up the esports ladder, adding a proper spectator client would likely be the simplest way to do so. Sure, it probably isn’t the easiest thing to implement in the world, but can’t be harder than any of these other options, right? Get on it, Blizzard. We’re waiting.

Taylor Cocke is pulling for you, Brood War. Follow him on Twitter @taylorcocke.