Welcome to Industry Intel, EarlyGame’s weekly recap of all the bigger news from the business side of making video games. This time we have nothing too crazy to report, but some interesting things have been happening around Blizzard, Sony, and of course Microsoft.
StarCraft 2 Shuts Development
10 years after its release, the world’s premier RTS esports, StarCraft II, will cease the development of new content. The announcement was made in an open letter from Blizzard Entertainment addressed to the game’s community. Now, before you panic, this only means that no new paid content will be produced – Commanders, War Chests, and expansions. The company will keep updating the game with balance changes and seasonal content.
In terms of competitive play, StarCraft 2 esports will keep “going strong” in terms of GSL and the partnership with ESL tournaments. The team currently working on the title will shift their focus to the hardcore esports fans. By the way, the entire game is free, so maybe you should replay those story campaigns for old time’s sake.
- READ MORE: Why is StarCraft II Still Popular?
Speaking of Blizzard and old times, ex-StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void Production Lead Tim Morten has founded a brand-new company dubbed Frost Giant Studios. He also recruited Warcraft 3: The Frozen Throne Campaign Designer Tim Campbell, a fellow Blizzard veteran. The duo has amassed $4.7 million to fuel a brand new RTS game. Is this the next big entry in the genre after almost a decade with no big newcomers?
Microsoft Is Already Designing The Next Xbox
Microsoft exec Phil Spencer has been talking to Kotaku about the upcoming Xbox Series X consoles. One of the things he mentioned is that a team is already working on iterations of the machines. This includes their solid-state drives, that are performing worse than the ones inside the PlayStation 5.
Another thing he shed light on was the recent acquisition of Bethesda parent ZeniMax for $7.5 billion (yup, you read correctly - billion). According to him, the deal wasn’t made so that Xbox can snatch exclusive rights for future Fallouts and Elder Scrolls. According to Spencer, “how do we keep other players from playing these games” was never a discussion that Microsoft had internally prior to the deal. Honestly, this makes sense. They have 7.5 billion to make back, and Steam releases sure can help in achieving that.
Sony Will Improve Its Hardware With A Software Update
As funny as this sounds, it’s an actual thing. The PS5 fan is a massive device meant to cool both sides of the machine at the same time, but reportedly, it can also adapt based on specific needs. Sony has explained that they’ll be collecting individual data from gamers and make software adjustments to better cool their machines, which is a neat feature to have.
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