Blizzard yanks staff from console project

[UPDATE] Developer issues mysterious statement to inform public of internal "refocusing" of resources; Blizzard says displaced workers were "evaluat[ing] current console technology."

Today, Blizzard Entertainment issued a cryptic press release apparently targeting those who are speculating about its work on consoles. Following "an extensive evaluation of the company's aggressive development plans," the traditionally PC-centric developer now "plans to strengthen its current development efforts by refocusing key members of its console team on other projects." One of the "other" projects mentioned in the release was the expansion pack World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade.

"By redeploying key talent onto projects that are currently in development, we will greatly improve our ability to deliver multiple high-quality games in the years ahead," said Blizzard president Mike Morhaime. "We feel that this is an important step to take toward achieving our long-term development goals while also ensuring that our future games meet the expectations of our players and our employees."

But despite the upbeat tone of Blizzard's statement, it didn't mention which console games it was yanking developers from. That means the announcement could either be about the staff of Starcraft: Ghost, which is on indefinite hold, or about the makers of another, as-yet-unannounced project. The news certainly won't hearten gamers hoping for a next-gen console edition of World of Warcraft, which, nearly two years after its release, remains the best-selling PC game in the US.

Perhaps not so coincidentally, Blizzard's announcement hit newswires the same week the company posted a job listing for a level designer with experience in making real-time strategy titles. Though it didn't mention a specific platform or project, the listing asked for candidates who had experience with PC RTS toolsets, naming Rise of Legends, Command & Conquer, and Warcraft III specifically.

Today's announcement has also sparked rumors that Blizzard Entertainment might be getting out of console development altogether. The developer's carefully worded statement concludes by saying that "possible future console plans" (emphasis added) will be "revealed at a later date"--apparently opening the door for the company to exit the non-PC realm altogether.

[UPDATE] This afternoon, GameSpot was reminded by Blizzard that its focus remains on the PC. "The console team was working with members of other departments within Blizzard to evaluate current console technology," said a rep. "At this time, our focus is on the PC games we have in development. Any future console plans we might have will be announced at a later date."

125 Comments

  • pheria

    Posted Dec 1, 2008 8:57 pm PT

    Bring it back!

  • RedStar

    Posted Oct 20, 2008 2:19 pm PT

    Hello....?

  • jedifisto

    Posted Oct 2, 2008 1:44 pm PT

    i remeber this like 3 years ago. they should start it back up on like pc or somthing

  • snak216

    Posted May 26, 2007 9:36 am PT

    Oh No. This game would not be bad.

  • BrUnOdeFeNiX

    Posted May 26, 2007 9:27 am PT

    WHy this game was cancelled?! WHY?! I don't like this idea....
    I saw the videos, and I LIke the game, I will buy... but now, I'm disappoint...

  • SaxxyGamer18

    Posted May 25, 2007 6:21 pm PT

    Heh, really old story and I'm posting on it.

    Yeah, this looked like it would be pretty cool. Why on earth would they go to all that work and then cancel it? Hmm...

  • toy_soldier_13

    Posted May 25, 2007 3:39 pm PT

    because everyone is talking about Starcraft again and remembering that there was supposed to be Ghost coming out but it never did now everyone's is like WTF?

  • ocdog45

    Posted May 23, 2007 3:47 pm PT

    this story was from months ago, why are people still posting on this????

  • rogermao

    Posted May 23, 2007 2:47 am PT

    wen did they announce that gohst was coming out? like 2 years ago i think?

  • cal420

    Posted May 20, 2007 8:45 am PT

    lol hu gives a flying monkey about Ghost anymore...STARCRAFT 2!!!!

  • geogo3r

    Posted Apr 28, 2007 4:52 pm PT

    Lol I remember when all of the last-gen consoles were first out they announced this game and then it never happened. Good job Blizzard.

  • Pastehunter

    Posted Apr 28, 2007 1:29 pm PT

    Wow , how could I miss this news

  • VRMaster

    Posted Mar 13, 2007 5:19 pm PT

    Why? I know, I have heard all the reasons as to why they need to shift there focus to "other things" perhaps like finishing all the many expanisions packs of WOW which I hardly even look upon, personally I prefer Eve over that. But I AM Greatly Disappointed about the SC G project I heard in Grade 8. I am now about to graduate Highschool and nothin. O well. I still have some hope left! At least I have the pocket book: StarCraft Ghost: Nova. Its not bad, but its needs to be continued because its just a prequel to a game that as of now will never come. Makes me sad thinking about it ,

  • sidney_765

    Posted Feb 9, 2007 2:13 pm PT

    NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Infernal_Hazard

    Posted Feb 8, 2007 3:41 am PT

    Outrageous! Starcraft is one of my favorite games, play it anywhere and have fun no matter what. I HATE Blizzard for abandoning starcraft like that. I was so hoping for a continuation of the starcraft story. I love seeing the zerg and the different species they have incorporated into the swarm. Its always fun to have huge battles with terrans, protoss and zerg ripping each other apart. DAMN YOU BLIZZARD!!!!

    I never got into the Warcraft series nor do I ever wish to in my life, so screw you Blizzard and your WoW!

  • joshff8

    Posted Jan 14, 2007 7:51 am PT

    i dont ask for much from these people. just starcraft ghost, considering its been in development for what, six years? and blizzard, is making starcraft 2 really that hard. you just need a few new units, 3d graphics, customizable heroes, and a new storyline, and you have a classic better than any warcraft or diablo.

  • mand_450

    Posted Jan 3, 2007 12:14 pm PT

    I know starcraft well, but i haven't got the game, nor i am playing it, but i really like blizzard entertainment. However, they have rather dissapointed me lately. They concentrate to much on WoW, and leave Starcraft, diablo and a Warcraft 4 in the dusty corner. Though i like the Wc series, i still think that it is dull, that the starcraft fans have to wait so long, and get dissapointed. Diablo players seems to do it quite well, since that they of some reason never get tired of playing it.

    I hope Blizzard will leave WoW for a moment.

  • Supperdude9

    Posted Dec 7, 2006 2:03 pm PT

    Blizzard should make a World of Starcraft or something...Because that's what it would have been, really. Starcraft Ghost I mean. The ability to enter a game world in that setting. But the way I'm thinking is that WOS could be somewhat Starcraft meets Battlefield.

  • aygol

    Posted Nov 26, 2006 6:03 pm PT

    After so many years they are thinking about Starcraft? Oh, I think I heard about Starcraft; Ghost ten years ago.

    Blizzard, go and make some new games, you're wasting your time on World of Warcraft. That's the best selling PC game, and you're getting a lot of money for that. So, why don't you make a new game that is not an RPG game.

    Make a new Starcraft or forget about Starcraft: Ghost.

  • Tomdogg

    Posted Oct 23, 2006 4:09 pm PT

    I cannot believe what I have just read...............GIMME STARCRAFT GHOST NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • blacktorn

    Posted Oct 5, 2006 5:08 am PT

    Blizzards games have all been great on pc's,so why leave?Ports of diable ect have all been meh,unless they use a keyboard for the ps3,then it would be ok,but i can't imagine or dont want to balance a keyboard on my lap/mouse.

  • 930ff

    Posted Oct 4, 2006 2:40 pm PT

    I remember first hearing about Starcraft Ghost when I was in Grade 6! I'm almost in my post-secondary education now. Hearing this news just makes me wonder if Starcraft: Ghost will ever come out. Screw it, just go straight to Starcraft 2.

  • nobeaner

    Posted Sep 22, 2006 11:11 am PT

    Stracraft: GHOST.... How I longed for you to come out on any console....

  • AdMordem

    Posted Sep 21, 2006 11:23 am PT

    Godamnit

    STARCRAFT GHOST 360!
    NOW!!

    not that hard is it...?

    i mean who plays WoW anyways? Scuba Divers??

  • audiogarden

    Posted Sep 14, 2006 1:41 pm PT

    Why have any of you lost faith in Blizzard? Because they won't release a game that didn't live up to their expectations? Thank the lord... Who wants to play another **** console style fps anyway?

  • zirron

    Posted Sep 10, 2006 10:49 pm PT

    Starcarft is much more to go, i very like the story line and the gameplay, still playing it now.. , i reallly hope blizzard will consider come out the starcraft 2 or well, starcraft :ghost for the die hard fan....

  • warcraft360

    Posted Sep 7, 2006 5:53 pm PT

    y id theyhave to cancel it?

    Forget WoW it poplar alreADY

  • Zifhael

    Posted Sep 7, 2006 4:30 pm PT

    oi, come one already, yes, WOW is popular, but, with all the money ur making, ur telling em you cant manae to come out with at least one other game in the near future? i mean damn, Blizzard used to be one of ym favorite game companies...oh well, they have eben replaced by Maxis, with Bungie close behind

  • KevinDavidson89

    Posted Aug 31, 2006 11:22 pm PT

    Man well "f" this. That game looked sweet. I hope that they get it out. They had been working on it for so long that they just cant scrap it! But then if they ever get it out it will probably be outdated. And maybe they should release it on pc so the pc people will stop b****ing

  • fastmiks

    Posted Aug 14, 2006 8:28 am PT

    They just dont care about starcraft fnas, they are just little greedy fellas that cashing up on MMO so lets calm down guys and wait 2009 , that will be the year Bizz gonna release somethig else...not another exp on WoW I hope

  • MasterDrail

    Posted Aug 11, 2006 1:57 pm PT

    Well, regardless of what Blizzards' thinking, they'd better hurry. This delaying stuff for whatever project is on the brain has me rattled.

    However...

    SC2 would be preferable, since they've poured almost everything else into fantasy; a good dose of Sci-fi would be appreciated.

  • cubeace6

    Posted Aug 10, 2006 7:13 pm PT

    hurry up and release burning crusade

  • MarcusOfLycea

    Posted Aug 10, 2006 12:46 pm PT

    Dropping Ghost... can't say I care. Its been almost 10 year since Starcraft, and Ghost was kind of a slap in the face in the first place (that it was console only and that it was an FPS). Maybe they're realizing it? I dunno. I don't have much faith left in Blizzard, so I guess I'll just wait to see what they do next.

  • Richnamy

    Posted Aug 9, 2006 5:02 pm PT

    @$#% that

  • Taker0003

    Posted Aug 9, 2006 11:17 am PT

    Shame you Blizzard, shame on you. Your losing everything that you built for the StarCraft fans, shame on you.

  • Onimusha8666

    Posted Aug 8, 2006 11:42 pm PT

    im dead inside

  • nightshade_01

    Posted Aug 8, 2006 11:08 am PT

    SC: Ghost is a dead project. It's not even a Duke Nukem Forever, which has supposedly been worked on all this time. They aren't even working on it.

    It's too bad, because this game was looking really good.

  • cal_hooper

    Posted Aug 8, 2006 5:33 am PT

    I don't know. I lost a huge part of my faith in Blizzard since that day when they announced that "Ghost" wasn't coming to either of Nintendos consoles. Why? And now that we're talking about it, I haven't played WoW for ages, must've been 6 months ago.... What's going on?

  • BigDaveyDogz

    Posted Aug 7, 2006 11:32 am PT

    I'm waiting for a World of Starcrat...I may never leave my house again if that ever comes out!

  • taggerung000

    Posted Aug 6, 2006 1:46 pm PT

    lol...*wonders if starcraft ghost is ever really going to be made*

  • PutU2REM

    Posted Aug 5, 2006 1:47 am PT

    Long live the PC.

  • artanisxvi

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 9:36 pm PT

    maybe Starcraft: Ghost will become a PC game

  • SmallPower

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 5:21 pm PT

    Blizzard is shuffling to cover up ill-gotten funds from no-bid anti-terrorism Homeland Security contracts awarded to its parent company that resulted in little more than vaporware and paid vacations for executives. Just a little internal restructuring and cooking of the books, nothing to see here move along folks. Details in The Guardian 9/19/05.

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 3:38 pm PT

    I think this is sad Blizzard has said time and time again they want to also work on Console game this just shows they do not.

  • metroid_dragon

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 2:06 pm PT

    GKBeetle
    Did you actually read the story? What is that you can't wait for?

    The game which isn't annouced in a universe we don't know about for gamers that don't know it is in production obviously

    like duh.

  • c_murr69

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 2:03 pm PT

    SC Ghost is done for, if i were blizzard i would just make SC2 because that would be great. and another thing an MMO on a console wouldn't be right...!

  • freakykidd

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 1:45 pm PT

    Thats it. SC:Ghost is officialy screwed.

  • GKBeetle

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 6:17 am PT

    iriver_H10
    This is gonna be great. I can't wait

    Did you actually read the story? What is that you can't wait for?

  • iriver_H10

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 3:23 am PT

    This is gonna be great. I can't wait

  • soulknight63133

    Posted Aug 4, 2006 2:50 am PT

    I'm glad I own a console and a PC so it doesn't matter what they decide or what platform they dev. for...lol

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