Blizzard is reportedly close to handing StarCraft's future to Nexon

Blizzard is on the verge of licensing StarCraft development rights to South Korean publisher Nexon, reports The Chosun Daily. Under the deal, Nexon would gain the right to develop a sequel — effectively StarCraft III — while Microsoft and Blizzard retain full IP ownership. An announcement is expected at BlizzCon 2026, scheduled for September 12–13.

A dormant franchise, a familiar playbook

StarCraft hasn't seen a major new release since StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void in 2015, and Blizzard's last meaningful investment in the series was a 2017 remaster. Since Microsoft's $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard in 2023, the franchise has sat largely untouched. Handing development rights to Nexon fits a pattern: Blizzard already licensed Overwatch PC publishing in Korea to Nexon in March 2026, establishing a working relationship before any StarCraft agreement was finalized.

The Chosun Daily quotes a senior industry official: "As far as I understand, after signing this contract, Nexon will gain the rights to develop a sequel to StarCraft." Given StarCraft II already exists, that sequel would be StarCraft III.

The concern

Nexon's track record is the sticking point. The company is widely known for aggressive monetization — gacha mechanics, pay-to-win systems, free-to-play models built around recurring spending. StarCraft's hardcore competitive community, particularly in the West, has spent years hoping for a serious RTS revival. A Nexon-led StarCraft III is unlikely to be that.

The irony is that StarCraft remains genuinely popular: it still sits in the top 10 most-played games at Korean PC cafés nearly 30 years after its 1998 launch. There's clearly demand for the franchise. The question is whether Nexon's approach to game design will serve the RTS faithful or sideline them entirely.

Nexon is also separately developing a free-to-play shooter set in the StarCraft universe, which was already reported to be heading toward a BlizzCon reveal. It's possible both projects get airtime at the same event.

What we don't know yet

No official confirmation has come from Microsoft, Blizzard, or Nexon. The deal is described as near finalization, not signed. It's also unclear whether a Nexon-developed StarCraft III would launch simultaneously in Western markets or be treated as an Asia-first release. For PC and console players in the US and UK, that distinction matters.