Summary
ThoughStarCraft 2was widely popular in its heyday, former Blizzard developer Jason Hall claimed that a singleWorld of Warcraftstore mount made more money by itself thanWings of Libertydid as a full game. The originalStarCraftplayed an important role in establishing the modern e-sports era, and its sequel instantly became one of the most visible e-sports in the world at launch. Though Blizzardended content development onStarCraft 2in 2020, the game still enjoys a dedicated community and premier tournaments with a prize pool of $500,000.
With Blizzard coyly addressing thepossibility of a newStarCraftgameat BlizzCon 2023, the Microsoft acquisition has injected new life into speculations and community discussions. While the audience for a real-time strategy game may not be as strong as other genres are at present,Baldur’s Gate 3has proven that a brilliantly designed title can transcend its niche genre to become a trendsetter. However, there is another aspect that determines the profitability of a modern video game release, and it’s a topic that has seen no shortage of controversy: microtransactions and monetization models.
Despite having a huge launch in 2010,StarCraft 2: Wings of Libertywas outperformed in revenue by a singleWorld of Warcraftmount. In a somewhat recent video by Jason Hall, the former Blizzard developer claimed that during the development ofStarCraft 2, he worked two years of overtime, before bluntly stating: “StarCraft 2: Wings of Libertymade less money than the horse. The first sparkle pony horse, inWorld of Warcraft. A fifteen dollar microtransaction horse made more money thanStarCraft 2.”
The mount that Jason Hall referenced in his video was the Celestial Steed, and its profit ultimately convinced Blizzard Entertainment that microtransactions were worth the investment. The novelty of being the first storemount inWorld of Warcraftcontributed to its popularity, and though it had a highly controversial debut back in its day, people kept buying the mount, and as a result, Blizzard kept making more.
A fifteen dollar microtransaction horse made more money thanStarCraft 2.
Diablo 4’s microtransactions have earned notorietyfor being pricey, yet so long as they continue to turn a profit compared to the amount of developer resources invested into them, there is no reason for Blizzard to stop making premium cosmetics. Having to work two years of overtime with a full team to develop a single game, versus dedicating 50 hours to creating a mount that will make more money, puts things into perspective why microtransactions have become so pervasive in modern gaming. Though it remains to be seen if Blizzard will develop a sequel to its sci-fi franchise, players should be prepared for this hypotheticalStarCraft 3to potentially follow the Battle Pass microtransaction model established inOverwatch 2andDiablo 4.
StarCraft 2
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