StarCraft II Newsfeed

Character Biography: Zeratul

Blizzard — 03/07/08

Learn more about StarCraft II's main characters and their complex intertwining stories in the character biography of Zeratul, the second installment of our StarCraft II character biography series. We have also added one new piece of artwork and five new screenshots.

New Planet Bio Added - Char

Blizzard — 17/06/08

We have added a new planet bio, Char. We have also added two new pieces of artwork and one new screenshot.

I <3 SC Winners Announced!

Blizzard — 09/06/08

We would like thank all the participants in our I <3 StarCraft contest. We received submissions from StarCraft fans all over the world and have compiled hundreds of them into an "I <3 StarCraft photo mosaic.

New Unit Added - Baneling

Blizzard — 23/05/08

We have added a new zerg unit, the baneling. We have also added four new pieces of artwork and seven new screenshots.

StarCraft Community Tournaments Sign-up closed!

Blizzard — 13/05/08

The sign-ups for the StarCraft Community Tournament have now closed down. Stay tuned for the exciting qualifier round that will be held on May 24th and 25th in cooperation with GosuGamers for the privilege of competing in the finals at the Worldwide Invitational in Paris and the chance to win great prizes! All participants will receive an email with further instructions in the coming days.

StarCraft Community Tournament Announced!

Blizzard — 30/04/08

At the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational, all attendees will have the opportunity to witness some of the world’s top StarCraft, Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft players compete in exciting matches. In addition to these professional gaming matches, community player tournaments will allow you to show your skills for fun and glory – and some amazing tournament prizes. Sign up to compete with other members of the community in Blizzard's upcoming StarCraft tournaments and use your skills to come out on top! Compete in the StarCraft: Brood War qualifiers hosted by GosuGamers to win your spot in the StarCraft: Brood War finals! Check out the Community tournaments page for more information!

Q&A Batch 36

Blizzard — 25/04/08

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 36 of the Q&A, along with the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

I <3 SC Community contests!

Blizzard — 16/04/08

There are two weeks left, for you to submit your picture in the official I <3 SC contest and we have another goodie for you! Several fansites have also started their very own contests. Join the professional gamers from Meet Your Makers in their "I <3 SC" contest and win a MYM mousepad and teamshirt! The "I <3 SC Continued" contest from StarCraft-Source.com offers Battlechests as additional prizes and get your questions answered with the contest StarCraft Legacy has set up. For our Czech friends, you should head over to StarCraftCz to submit your picture! Further contests can be found on inStarcraft.de (German), StarCraft-Source.de (German), JudgeHype (French) and Starcraft-esp.com (Spanish).

The Story So Far... Part 2: The Brood War

Blizzard — 16/04/08

The storyline of StarCraft II takes place four years after the events of StarCraft: Brood War. We have prepared a two-part overview called The Story So Far, an opportunity for you to get up to speed with the characters, settings, and developments that lead up to StarCraft II. Read about Kerrigan's treachery as the Queen of Blades, Samir Duran's hybrid experiments, and the final events leading up to StarCraft II in The Story So Far... Part 2: The Brood War.

Discussion of the Month. April: The Baneling

Blizzard — 16/04/08

Last month was all about the Zerg. For the first time members of the Community and the press had the privilege to test StarCraft II’s third race. You could read a lot about the different units and buildings, see movies and screenshots, hear about the gameplay experiences. This month’s discussion topic will be about one of the new Zerg units: The Baneling. It is the mutation of one of the most popular Zerg units, of the Zergling. This month will be all about the Baneling. The Baneling has undergone quite a few changes in the past couple of weeks and we'd like to hear your feedback!

April Fools!

Blizzard — 03/04/08

We hope you enjoyed our April Fools' Day events. If you missed them, check out this year's jokes:

New World of Warcraft Hero Class: Bard
New StarCraft II Unit: Tauren Marine
World of Warcraft on a Console
Diablo Loot Piñata
Forums: Bears and Buckets and Walruses, Oh My!

The Blizzard Entertainment Joke Team™ will see you again next year. Just kidding - we're always around waiting to pounce.

New Unit Added - Tauren Marine

Blizzard — 01/04/08

We have added a new terran unit, the tauren marine. We have also added two new pieces of artwork and three new screenshots.

StarCraft’s 10-Year Anniversary: A Retrospective

Blizzard — 31/03/08

On March 31, 1998, Blizzard Entertainment released StarCraft, a revolutionary real-time strategy game pitting three powerful and distinctive races against each other in a war-torn galaxy. In StarCraft, the resourceful terrans, mysterious protoss, and relentless zerg find themselves in a confluence of events that has only one possible outcome: an epic war for conquest and survival.

The year of its release, more than 1.5 million copies of StarCraft were sold around the world, making it the bestselling PC game of 1998. To date, it has sold more than 9.5 million copies worldwide. A considerable number of those copies have been sold in South Korea, where the game continues to enjoy unprecedented levels of popularity.

Read more about the history of StarCraft at our Starcraft's 10-Year Anniversary page!

"I <3 SC" Contest!

Blizzard — 31/03/08

The tenth anniversary of StarCraft's release is fast approaching, and to mark the occasion, we'll be assembling a mosaic of pictures sent in by players from around the world, all featuring a special "I <3 SC" logo. 50 T-shirts are up for grabs, so check out the contest page for full details or to take part.

StarCraft II Zerg Press Tour coverage

Blizzard — 21/03/08

A week ago the Swarm arrived; we could see the Zerg taking over the news cycles of major gaming networks. Check out the extensive coverage on this extraordinary event!

Check out TeamLiquid where the staff members semioldguy and Last Romantic posted their coverage in the StarCraft II TeamLiquid Coverage Part I and Part II with detailed game decriptions. If you have any questions, you can Ask LR about StarCraft II or Ask semioldguy about StarCraft II.
On Starcraft.org you can take a Photo Tour to have a look at the Blizzard Museum and check out the Emmy that was awarded for the South Park episode. Read their article on the Swarm for more Zerg hands-on experience.
GosuGamers takes a look at the Queen in StarCraft II and answers your questions in the Open Q&a with Raistlin. They also published an Interview with Samwise Didier. You should also take the time to see their Zerg Unit fact sheet and the Community Reaction to Zerg as well as the reactions of the ProGamers with the match-up between sAviOr and Bisu and the Pros Perspective on SC2
sclegacy has put together a report of their "Day at Blizzard" headquarters with an insight on the campus as well as their thoughts on the Zerg and the Gameplay of StarCraft II.
IncGamers also stopped by the Blizzard headquarters and has plenty of information for you in their Zerg coverage with the official trailers, a preview on the Zerg Queen, the Press Q&a and the general Zerg Preview covering all units.
On the fansite Starcraft2forum Joneagle_X writes about his trip to Irvine. For more information have a look at his Q&a Thread and his model of the new redesigned Nomad!
Last but certainly not least GameReplays also gives you an insight on their visit to Blizzard and get to test StarCraft II themselves. Check out their impressions in the StarCraft II Zerg Details & Trialer.
More information is available on sc2blog who have a summary of everything that has been going on the past couple of days in their Blizzard's Rush: 36 hours of Zerg
If you still thirst for more information, check out the sites sc2blog, Planet StarCraft, Blizzplanet, StarCrafttwo.com, myMYM, StarCraft II Australia, StarCraft II Player, StarCraftLive, Starcrafttwo.com and StarCraft II Zone.

If you still don't have enough of these fan reports you should have a look at the interviews, videos and articles on known gaming sites:

GameSpot: Hands-on - Zerg Rush, Interview with Art Director Samwise Didier (Video) & Interview with Lead Game Designer Dustin Browder (Video).
IGN: StarCraft II Hands-On, StarCraft II Zerg First Look, Video Special: Blizzard Studio Tour, Zerg Unit and Zerg Structure list and Video Interview with Chris Sigaty as well as Zerg gameplay trailers.
Gametrailers: Interviews with Chris Sigaty on Zerg Evolution, Comparison Interview and Recapturing the Magic - Interview with Art Director Samwise Didier
Gamespy: StarCraft II Preview, Interview with Dustin Browder

StarCraft II Zerg Trailer Available

Blizzard — 18/03/08

We've just released a high-quality version of the StarCraft II zerg trailer that was shown to the press last week. Watch as the Swarm steps back into the light for the first time since the events of the Brood War, and catch a first glimpse at the zerg's frightful evolution. Check out the trailer now!

StarCraft II: Zerg Revealed

Blizzard — 10/03/08

The StarCraft II website has just been updated with new information about the zerg, the game's third playable race. You can now learn more about the nightmarish hydralisks and the agile and dangerous mutalisks, and can also catch up on the recent history of the Swarm. Also make sure to check out the newly added screenshots, concept art, and unit videos included in this first look at the zerg.

BlizzCast Episode 2

Blizzard — 04/03/08

The second episode of BlizzCast is now up, and we've doubled its length since the debut. This episode kicks off with a story interview, and moves on to a discussion of some of the changes to Magtheridon's Lair in the Sunwell Isle patch. Lastly, we're also adding a new community questions and answers section to cover some of the topics that are on your mind. Listen to the show now, or check out the transcript to see all the featured artwork.

Discussion Topic of the Month: Map Making

Blizzard — 27/02/08

Over the years we have enjoyed watching our community show their creativity and create amazing maps and mods to our games. With StarCraft II we would like to encourage you to keep up the awesome work, so wed like to give you a tool, you will enjoy working with. We have already answered questions in our Q&As but now it is your turn to tell us what your ideal StarCraft II Editor would look like!

Q&A Batch 31

Blizzard — 27/02/08

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 31 of the Q&A, along with the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational!

Blizzard — 11/02/08

This year's Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational is coming to the Porte de Versailles Exposition Center in Paris, France on June 28-29. Top StarCraft, Warcraft III, and World of Warcraft players will duke it out for supremacy and cash prizes in eSports tournaments, and all attendees will be able to enjoy discussion panels, signings, musical performances, and more. In addition, StarCraft II and World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will be playable by everyone on the show floor.

For much more information on the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational, check out the press release and visit the official website. We look forward to seeing you there, but if you're unable to make it out to Paris in June, we'll be providing live coverage on the official website throughout the weekend of the event.

Q&A Batch 28

Blizzard — 05/02/08

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 28 of the Q&A, along with the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

Interview with StarCraft Board Game Artist

Blizzard — 04/02/08

Luke Mancini, a member of the StarCraft Source forums, took the time to hand paint the units of his new StarCraft Board Game to mimic the in-game appearance. Starcraft-source.com now published an interview about his great work on all of the 180 units.

Q&A Batch 27

Blizzard — 04/02/08

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 27 of the Q&A, along with the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

Character Biography: Jim Raynor

Blizzard — 28/01/08

Jim Raynor was a Confederate marshal on Mar Sara at the time of the first zerg incursions on that world. Despite bravely fighting the alien aggressors and saving many lives, he was arrested by Confederacy forces on the pretext of destroying Confederate property at Backwater Station. When he was subsequently liberated by Arcturus Mengsk's Sons of Korhal, an anti-Confederate revolutionary group, Raynor chose to fight alongside them...

Learn more about StarCraft II's main characters and their complex intertwining stories in the character biography of Jim Raynor, the first installment of our StarCraft II character biography series.

Introducing BlizzCast

Blizzard — 28/01/08

Join our Community Team as they go behind the scenes to experience the world of Blizzard game development in the first installment of our new Blizzard podcast, BlizzCast.

In each episode we'll be interviewing your favorite Blizzard developers and staff, giving you a glimpse of what it's like to make the games you love.

To kick off our BlizzCast series, we've decided to begin where every great Blizzard idea begins, at the concept level. Joining us, we have Samwise Didier, our Art Director and concept artist for many of the popular Blizzard characters you've grown to love, such as the Pandaren, Fel Orcs, Dark Templars, Zerglings, and many more. We'll be chatting with Samwise on how he came up with the characters he did, as well as what it is like to work on both the Warcraft and StarCraft franchises.

Check out the new BlizzCast page here.

Community Spotlight #1

Blizzard — 28/01/08

Love StarCraft? Love comics that make you chuckle? Check out this up-and-coming fan site making a fun and artistic contribution to the community. Food For Thought Comics is devoted to weekly fan-made StarCraft comics.

Q&A Batch 26

Blizzard — 28/01/08

We recently answered a number of questions from the community regarding StarCraft II. Check out part 26 of the Q&A, along with the StarCraft II Q&A archive in the Battle.net forums.

Interview with author Christie Golden

Blizzard — 28/01/08

StarCraft: The Dark Templar is a new trilogy of novels set in the StarCraft universe. The trilogy chronicles some of the events between StarCraft: Brood War and StarCraft II. Blizzplanet recently interviewed author Christie Golden, asking questions submitted by the community about the details of the second novel in the trilogy, Shadow Hunters.