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On May 19th, 2007, in Seoul, Korea, Blizzard will launch the third iteration of its own special expo, the World Wide Invitational. There, Blizzard Korea officials will officially unveil the long-awaited sequel to Blizzard's legendary RTS. The announcement was made earlier today, and Korean message boards are going crazy.

Here's a translation of the announcement:

“StarCraft 2 will be revealed for the first time to the world at Blizzard's World Wide Invitational (WWI) on May 19th.

On the 25th, according to the game developers, it has been confirmed that Blizzard Entertainment Korea (aka Blizzard Korea) will present VODs and game content at the WWI that is starting on May 19th. Also, StarCraft 2's main developers will also attend to answer some questions.

It has been confirmed that StarCraft 2 is being developed in 3D, a new race has been added and existing units' characteristics will have many changes. Additional details will only be revealed to certain parts of WWI.

Blizzard has invited over 100 international media and has prepared both Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Stadium and Fencing Stadium for this event -- the biggest area ever for a short-term game event.

StarCraft 2's announcement preparation is proceeding with secrecy, and only the core group at Blizzard Korea knows the specific details and situation. As they have done in the past, Blizzard is not planning to reveal or release any details for the "best surprise announcement".

However, trustworthy information is being leaked from previous Blizzard employees, and through an acquaintance of ex-Blizzard North employees, StarCraft 2's development and its announcement at the WWI has been confirmed.

Last February 28th, Blizzard president, Mike Morhaime, has hinted that "At the WWI in May, there will be a surprise announcement" for the announcement of a sequel, Blizzard Korea has confirmed, on the 25th, an unrevealed sequel's announcement.

Blizzard Korea's Park Young-Mok director said "There is not content available for answer for the sequel. The sequel will be released at the WWI on the 19th. Please confirm it at the site on the 19th" and denied the confirmation on if StarCraft 2 is indeed the sequel that is to be announced on the 19th.

MBC Game's Lee Sang-Ho head said "Frankly, it's half anticipation and half worry. If SC2 is released in a form that is compatible with e-sports broadcast, there will be many new gamers and the entire industry will develop. However if it comes out in a form that is not easy to broadcast, like WarCraft 3, StarCraft fans will focus on the sequel while the original league will suffer a decline", expressing a cautious mindset.

OnGameNet's StarCraft commentator Um Jae-Kyung said "Blizzard has probably already grasped the difference between this nation's gamers and foreign gamers' difference in inclination through WarCraft 3. So I'm hoping for a more balanced structure, a structure with e-sports in mind. However, I believe that the e-sports league will continue to focus on StarCraft and a new league focusing on StarCraft 2 will form, the industry growing bigger as a result. As a gamer, I'm really looking forward to it.

Blizzard's WWI is on its third year and will take place from May 19th to 20th at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Stadium and Weight Lifting Stadium (translator's note: I thought it was fencing? o.O). Many e-sports games as well as events such as WarCraft 3 ladder season 5 Asia region preliminaries, for the first time, a World of Warcraft Arena Tournament Off-line Regional Finals will take place.”

South Korea regularly holds video game tournaments and broadcasts them as true sporting events, hence all of the e-sports references in the quoted text. As a gamer who definitely had a "StarCraft phase" several years ago, I am surprised and excited by this news. Starcraft 2 is on the horizon, and we'll learn more on May 19th.

This post has been edited by Tiddles on 27th April 2007 19:37

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

OH MY EFFING GOD! FINALLY!

Yessssss. I'm so excited.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

I've never been a fan of starcraft. but SC2 Sounds Cool

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Kupo.

Ha ha! Like two years ago, I told my friend, "Wouldn't it be cool if they made a StarCraft 2?" He said "What am I missing?" and I said "It would be 3-d, like Warcraft 3!"

On another note, I wonder what the 4th race will be. Maybe it'll be the Xel'Naga.

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Status:
FF6 -- Finished! Yeah!
FF7 -- Finished (easily, and without KOtR)
FF8 -- End of Disc 3
Secret of Evermore--Leveling up for Salabog

"Go sit over there. Put your seatbelt on."--Squall

AHHHHHHHHH!

That was my girliest squeal possible.

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"We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting... fighting was the only thing I was ever good at, but at least I always fought for what I believed in." - Frank Yeager (a.k.a. Grey Fox)

Excuse me while I explode of happy. I haven't played Starcraft in at least a year, but hearing this has put me back in the mood for zerg-rush fiascos. I'm curious about the game in 3-D and even more so about the new race. Hopefully it's something -not- ridiculously overpowered like the Protoss were after Brood War.

Return of the Overmind?

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Okay, but there was a goat!

Oh god. Oh dear god. If this is a hoax, I'm arming my most-excellent chinese water dragon with a katana, teaching him how to remove male genitalia in slow, painful inch-by-inch cuts, and sicking him on you.

I've been waiting to hear (read?) this sort of thing ever since college. This is the single most awsome thing this week. Yes, even including getting FFV maps to dump and finding $400 on the ground.

Totally stoked.

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"Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by
the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession
and the likelyhood of him sharing."

This causes great happiness.....and sadness.... I want to play the game, and love the game.......but i know my expectations are much too great this time......... on a more negative note, anybody play starcraft: Ghost...?lol

Oh my god, after all these years. Oh my god, oh god. I'm so happy I could cry. <3<3<3<3

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This one time I punched a bear in the forehead TO DEATH! I still have the scars on my chest. I am the manliest man that ever did man.

League: Z3roHawk
Steam: Zero_Hawk
Wii U: Zero_Hawk
FF14 - Goblin - Zero Hawk <Fiend>

I won't believe it until Blizzard personally comes up to me and slaps me in the face.

Edit

Is there a link to the source? I'd like some hard evidence here.

Edit

Nevermind.

This post has been edited by Kappa the Imp on 26th April 2007 02:13

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I find your lack of faith disturbing...

The new race might be

Possible spoilers: highlight to view

The hybrids that Duran is trying to make, he says it if you played the 'Bonus Mission' in Brood War.

I cant wait, I used to be a major Star Craft addict and now that theres going to be a Starcraft 2, i'll probably go back and have to push WoW aside.

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Kel'Thuzad: She is persistent. Reminds me of you, death knight.

Arthas:Shut up you damned ghost.

-Warcraft III Kel'thuzad comparing Arthas and Sylvanas Windrunner.

FINNALLY It took Blizzard a few years, lets just hope that it turns out great and Blizzard doesnt take a million years to release it, i thought i never would hear this news, thanks alot!

...oh...great. Now those gamers downstairs will have yet another thing to obsess over. They already play Starcraft a bit too much...you should have seen the freakish zeal with which they approached their new Wiis Revolutions and copies of Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz and Zelda Twilight Princess...

Although I guess it won't be happening here; it'll be in South Korea, where they probably have even greater of a market.

On a sidenote:

Quote (BDZ)

Ha ha! Like two years ago, I told my friend, "Wouldn't it be cool if they made a StarCraft 2?" He said "What am I missing?" and I said "It would be 3-d, like Warcraft 3!"

You mean Starcraft isn't 3D already?

Yeah, I count Super-Mario-RPG-style graphics as 3D, so Starcraft and Age of Empires are also included. Okay, fine, not truly 3D, but it certainly gave that impression very well.

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Wow, it's about time. WoW got boring when you killed Nefarian and WC3 was too hard for me.
This is like the only thing that I can't wait for.. This better be as good as I think it will be!

MAJOR UPDATE

According to a "well placed source [sic]" of computerandvideogames.com (the source), this new announcement is going to be for a Starcraft-themed MMO and not a new RTS game.

Not long after CVG's news story (whose reliabilty is questionable) more hearsay arose that the game was going to be exclusively for the South Korean market for the first year following the release. Of course, all of this is rumor even less tangible than the Korean announcement, so we'll just have to wait for the 19th to see what this new Starcraft game turns out to be.

Edit

This rumor has been debunk'd.

Edit

2000th post

This post has been edited by laszlow on 6th May 2007 11:33

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Finally a World of Starcraft! Or something of the sort.

I wonder how it's going to work (classes & the like, I don't want to see everyone choose a Dark Templar class).

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Could you repeat that?

Kill me Blizzard.

JUST KILL ME

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"We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting... fighting was the only thing I was ever good at, but at least I always fought for what I believed in." - Frank Yeager (a.k.a. Grey Fox)

Where is the dotted line to sign over my soul?

MY LIFE FOR AIUR.

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Visions of Peace - Four Generals, One Empire, and the Returners caught in the middle.

OK, late yesterday night Blizzard released a NEW statement, saying that they will NOT be releasing any new MMO games other than expansions to WoW anytime soon at all. This essentially removes the credibility of that rumor from CVG, and suggests that we might be getting an RTS on our hands. Just wait until May 19th....

This post has been edited by laszlow on 6th May 2007 11:33

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

...Well, there goes my world. Shattered and lost.

Damn you, Blizzard! Damn you, online community unable to enjoy non-MMOs! Damn you all to the deepest recesses of the slice of 3 month old gouda cheese in my fridge.

Seriously, this sucks.

Edit: Laszlow, got any links? If this is true, then you are to be showered in large amounts of "teh awesomes." You can claim your reward from Caesar.

This post has been edited by Silverlance on 7th May 2007 02:38

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"Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by
the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession
and the likelyhood of him sharing."

Here's a link. The information that CVG was acting on was from a statement from Vivendi that "all future Blizzard games will be MMO". However, Blizzard denied that statement later on, stating that yes, they want to emphasize an online component for all of their games, but the only MMORPGs that they're planning are additions and expansions to WoW.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Ahhh... sweeeeet...

You've made my day. Although it's 11:47 PM here, but you've made the rest of my day regardless - what little there is left of it.

Seriously, it would've been a terrible downer if this game turned out being an MMO instead of a bona-fide RTS like the first one was. Online play is welcomed of course, but not having the option to play offline every once in a while is just... lame.

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"Judge not a man by his thoughts and words, but by
the quality and quantity of liquor in his possession
and the likelyhood of him sharing."

Quote (Silverlance @ 6th May 2007 23:48)

Seriously, it would've been a terrible downer if this game turned out being an MMO instead of a bona-fide RTS like the first one was. Online play is welcomed of course, but not having the option to play offline every once in a while is just... lame.

You're telling me you are happy you can't be Zealot #3541 putting his life up for Aiur? Sacrilege!

Or a Marine constantly sucking up stims. Heck, as a unit commander I made them suck so much of the stuff they were probably addicted. As one... well, I'd probably be too busy mimicking WH40K Space Marines, but second to that, a drug-addicted UED Marine would be sweet.

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Visions of Peace - Four Generals, One Empire, and the Returners caught in the middle.

Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 27th April 2007 09:49)

Quote (BDZ)

Ha ha! Like two years ago, I told my friend, "Wouldn't it be cool if they made a StarCraft 2?" He said "What am I missing?" and I said "It would be 3-d, like Warcraft 3!"

You mean Starcraft isn't 3D already?

Yeah, I count Super-Mario-RPG-style graphics as 3D, so Starcraft and Age of Empires are also included. Okay, fine, not truly 3D, but it certainly gave that impression very well.

I think most good 2-d graphics give the impression of a 3-dimensional world. What I meant was rotatable 3-d.

--------------------

Status:
FF6 -- Finished! Yeah!
FF7 -- Finished (easily, and without KOtR)
FF8 -- End of Disc 3
Secret of Evermore--Leveling up for Salabog

"Go sit over there. Put your seatbelt on."--Squall

When I finished the game, I went into CoN chat and asked when the next one is coming out. That was probably three years ago. This is the first new game I've been excited about in years.

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"I had to write four novels before they let me write comic books."
-Brad Meltzer

Quote (Dark Paladin @ 7th May 2007 14:49)

When I finished the game, I went into CoN chat and asked when the next one is coming out. That was probably three years ago. This is the first new game I've been excited about in years.

Even if we did used to wail on you in Battlenet.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Yeah, I still suck at it. StarCraft is one of the only games I have nearly no success at that I enjoy.

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"I had to write four novels before they let me write comic books."
-Brad Meltzer

Quote (laszlow @ 6th May 2007 22:01)

However, Blizzard denied that statement later on, stating that yes, they want to emphasize an online component for all of their games, but the only MMORPGs that they're planning are additions and expansions to WoW.

Thank goodness. If they had released a successful Starcraft MMO, well, I'd simply cease to exist. What else would I bother doing besides playing this game?

This post has been edited by Kappa the Imp on 7th May 2007 23:20

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I find your lack of faith disturbing...

http://www.blizzard.com/

Interesting....

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Oh my god, it's a sign.

--------------------

This one time I punched a bear in the forehead TO DEATH! I still have the scars on my chest. I am the manliest man that ever did man.

League: Z3roHawk
Steam: Zero_Hawk
Wii U: Zero_Hawk
FF14 - Goblin - Zero Hawk <Fiend>