Blizzard Confirms a StarCraft Remaster is Coming, and the Original Game Will Be Free

ffronw

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Blizzard Confirms a StarCraft Remaster is Coming, and the Original Game Will Be Free

The long-rumored StarCraft remaster is real, and the original game will soon be free for everyone.

Last summer, a rumor made the rounds that popped up again [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/168109-StarCraft-HD-Remaster-Reportedly-in-Development]. Over the weekend, the rumors ceased, because Blizzard officially confirmed that it is planning to release the remaster this summer.


The StarCraft remaster will do most of what you'd expect from an updated version of the game. There will be 4K graphics and 1080p cinematics, along with upgraded audio. The mission introductions have been redone as comic book-style shorts, and the game will support Blizzard friends and matchmaking (yeah, it's not called Battle.net anymore [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/169891-Battle-net-Replaced-by-Blizzard-App]). Most importantly, there's one big thing Blizzard isn't changing: the gameplay.

Blizzard Classic Games senior producer Pete Stilwell said of the remaster, "Updated graphics, modern amenities, and other new features won't matter if we ruin gameplay. Replays from 1.16 still work in SC Remastered. That's how true we've been."

Stilwell went on, saying, "StarCraft remains very popular, especially in Korea. It's doing so despite legacy Battle.net's aging infrastructure, and from the client perspective, graphics, compatibility, and online features that are not up to modern standards. We decided this was going to be our love letter to the SC diehards. So while the team dusted off the repos, rebuilt the pipeline, and rediscovered the codebase, we also spent hundreds of hours connecting with passionate and proactive folks all over the globe: The ones who have been keeping this game going. They gave us insight into the add-ons, game servers, and defined what made Brood War, Brood War."

While the news of a remaster is exciting, Blizzard is also going to be releasing a new patch for the original Starcraft and Brood War at the end of March. That patch will update the game to version 1.18, and it will make the main game and the expansion completely free. While that's cool on its own, there's something even better. StarCraft: Remastered will be multiplayer compatible with the original, so even if you don't buy the remaster, you can play with your friends that do. Moreover, you can pick up the remaster at any time and your campaign progress will carry over.

Of course, this news will make fans of classic Diablo and Warcraft games wonder when they're going to get a little love from Blizzard's Classic Games team. Stilwell addressed that, saying, "Now that StarCraft: Remastered is announced, we want to think about classic Blizzard games as a service, and to that end we're primarily focused on StarCraft for now. We don't have announcements to make about other classic games at this time."

Blizzard expects to have StarCraft: Remastered out sometime this summer. They've revamped the official Starcraft website [https://starcraft.com/] with all the news and info. You can check it out, and make sure to see the differences in the comparison shots below.

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Bindal

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So, in other words, the original becomes a form of demo of the original, except instead of limiting the gameplay or features, it only limits the visuals?

Cool.
 

TheMysteriousGX

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Nice of Blizzard to give away something that, statistically, any given PC gamer has purchased at least once.
 

Hawki

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Yeah, nice, I guess...would be nice if they at least had the option for things such as +12 unit selection, better pathing, double hotkeys, and worker rallying points, but hey, what do I know? I only played SC1 again a few weeks ago and found it fun, albeit outdated when compared to SC2. :(

And where's my WC1/2/D1 re-releases? I still have the discs, but I'd love an option to get them online, even if WC1 is horribly outdated.
 

Bindal

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Hawki said:
Yeah, nice, I guess...would be nice if they at least had the option for things such as +12 unit selection, better pathing, double hotkeys, and worker rallying points, but hey, what do I know? I only played SC1 again a few weeks ago and found it fun, albeit outdated when compared to SC2. :(

And where's my WC1/2/D1 re-releases? I still have the discs, but I'd love an option to get them online, even if WC1 is horribly outdated.
I wouldn't be surprised if these things are added with the update.
 

Hawki

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Bindal said:
Hawki said:
Yeah, nice, I guess...would be nice if they at least had the option for things such as +12 unit selection, better pathing, double hotkeys, and worker rallying points, but hey, what do I know? I only played SC1 again a few weeks ago and found it fun, albeit outdated when compared to SC2. :(

And where's my WC1/2/D1 re-releases? I still have the discs, but I'd love an option to get them online, even if WC1 is horribly outdated.
I wouldn't be surprised if these things are added with the update.
It's been explicitly stated that they won't alter the gameplay at all, since a lot of SC1's quirks have become part of the meta. The only exceptions I can think of are the ability to rebind hotkeys (I think?), and the removal of some bugs that stopped the valkyrie and carrier from firing at times (something to do with the terrain I think?)

And, look, I can understand people not wanting the core gameplay changed, considering how popular BW continues to be in e-sports, but still, I'd appreciate the option. It just seems redundant considering that you can still get the b.net chest in stores, SC1 is still supported, and would have continued to be popular regardless of the graphical update. Because a graphical update is all the 'remake' has, as well as some added interludes for the campaign.

Oh, and I'm aware of Mass Recall, just don't intend on playing it. Partly because I've never really been into mods (except Warcraft III), partly because...well, let's just say that one of the content creators and I don't see eye to eye, and our last conversation was in less than amicable terms.