For the past decade, World of Warcraft has served as the gateway for players to venture into the fantasy world of Azeroth. But before Blizzard reinvented the MMO, Warcraft was a real-time strategy series, with players commanding troops, gathering resources and waging war with dozens of units.
In fact, RTS games were what Blizzard was once known for. The game developer has a more diverse portfolio of titles across genres now, including action RPGs, card games and even an upcoming shooter — but that doesn't mean it's forgotten about the genre that made it famous. Blizzard's sci-fi RTS Starcraft 2 is getting its third and final expansion later this year, in the form of Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void.
As for what comes next for Blizzard's RTS team after finishing Starcraft 2? Possibly more Warcraft.
"It's very rewarding for us to hear that there's demand out there for more RTS content in the Warcraft universe so once we're done with Void I think we'll get together as a team and talk about what would inspire us to work on next," said Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void producer Tim Morten, speaking with IGN. "There's no question, though, that we'll consider Warcraft, StarCraft, or even new ideas. Anything is possible."
How exactly a new Warcraft RTS would coexist with World of Warcraft would be interesting to see. The Warcraft storyline has been continually told through various World of Wacraft expansions over 10 years, with the game's sixth expansion coming next year. With Blizzard planning on another decade of World of Warcraft, finding a place for a new RTS to fit in might be a challenge.
Keep in mind this is far from confirmation that a new Warcraft RTS is coming — only that Blizzard is open to one. Even if a new Warcraft RTS never does see the light of day, there may be some hope in the form of Blizzard's MOBA, Heroes of the Storm. Blizzard game director Dustin Browder says a Warcraft 3-style hero-focused story mode could come to the game in the future, though it's not currently in the works.
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